Loss of magnetism in CePd2−xNixAl3

Abstract Hexagonal CePd 2− x Ni x Al 3 exhibits a crossover from a Kondo lattice showing magnetic order at T N ≃2.8 K for x ⩽0.2 to intermediate valence (IV) for x →2. Though T N ( x ) is weakly affected upon Pd/Ni substitution before vanishing at finite temperature, the Kondo temperature T K progressively increases. Above x ≃0.3 the phase boundary no longer exists and strong spin fluctuations cause pronounced deviations from a Fermi-liquid ground state before the IV regime is established for x ⩾1.