High-field magnetization of Er(Fe,Ni)10Si2 compounds

The structure and magnetic properties of ErFe10-xNixSi2 compounds have been studied. The compounds were found to crystallize in the ThMn12-type tetragonal structure for x ranging from 0 to 5. Both lattice parameters, a and c, decrease with increasing Ni content. The Curie temperature reaches a maximum of 566 K at x = 2, then decreases strongly for x>2. Alternating-current susceptibility, x-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements show that the easy-magnetization direction of the compounds changes from the easy c-axis at room temperature to the easy cone at low temperature. The rotation process of the Er- and (Fe, Ni)-sublattice magnetization was studied for the compounds with x>2 by means of high-field free-powder magnetization measurements. The contribution of the anisotropy within the basal plane gives rise to oscillations of the high-field magnetization.