Magnetic properties of SmFe3 single crystal

SmFe 3 single crystal was grown by a self-flux method using Sm as a flux, and its crystallographic and magnetic properties have been studied. SmFe 3 crystalizes in the rhombohedral PuNi 3 -type structure and has lattice constants of a = 0.5179 and c = 2.4795 nm. The saturation magnetizations M S at 5K and 300 K are respectively 89.9 emu/g and 80.7emu/g, and the Curie temperature is 644 K. The anisotropy constants K 1 and K 2 at 5K are -2.69 X 10 7 and 11.9 X 10 7 erg/cm 3 and at 300 K are 2.36 x 10 7 and 2.21 x 10 7 erg/cm 3 . While the easy direction of magnetization is parallel to the c-axis at 300 K, it lies on the surface of a cone below 160 K. The angle θ between the c-axis and the generatrix of the cone is about 31° at 5K.