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Abstract:
The new samarium germanide SmGe3 is obtained by high-pressure high-temperature synthesis of pre-reacted mixtures of samarium and germanium at a pressure of 9.5 GPa and temperatures between 1073 and 1273 K. SmGe3 decomposes at 470(5) K into SmGe2, alpha-Sm3Ge5 and a hitherto unknown phase. SmGe3 exhibits a superstructure of the cubic Cu3Au-type. Transmission electron microscopy measurements of crystalline particles and prepared lamellae indicate a high density of defects on the nanoscale. Selected area electron diffraction and elaborate X-ray powder diffraction measurements consistently indicate a 2a(0) x 2a(0) x 2a(0) superstructure adopting space group Fm (3) over barm with a = 8.6719(2) angstrom.