A neutron diffraction study of the hexagonal pseudo-ternary compounds ErMn6-xFexSn6 (x=0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0)

The hexagonal ErMn6-xFexSn6 solid solution (0.2 < x < 4) has been studied by magnetisation measurements and neutron diffraction. The ordering temperature of the T = (Mn,Fe) sublattice almost continuously increases from T = 386 K for x = 0.2 to T = 498 K for x = 4. The T sublattice orders in the successive magnetic structures helimagnetic H1, anti ferromagnetic AF2, helimagnetic H2 and antiferromagnetic AF1 with increasing iron content. While structures AF2 and HI were already observed in ternary Mn compounds and AF1 in ternary iron compounds, the structure H2 is of a new kind characterized by an AF slab around the Er(la) site. At low temperature, a change of the easy direction of the Er moment from easy plane to easy axis is observed. The iron-rich compounds display a ferromagnetic order of the Er sublattice. A new kind of magnetic structure characterized by a sine-wave modulated arrangement with a propagating vector Q = (0, 0, q(z)) is also observed. The evolution of the magnetic properties (enhancement of the AF character of the (Mn,Fe) sublattice and magnetocrystalline anisotropy of erbium) is discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.