Calculated crystal-field parameters of SmCo5

High-Throughput Screening of Rare-Earth-Lean Intermetallic 1-13-X Compounds for Good Hard-Magnetic Properties

By computational high-throughput screening, the spontaneous magnetization M s , uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant K 1 , anisotropy field H a , and maximum energy product ( B H ) max are estimated for ferromagnetic intermetallic phases with a tetragonal 1-13-X structure related to the LaCo 9 Si 4 structure type. For SmFe 13 N, a ( B H ) max as high as that of Nd 2 Fe 14 B and a comparable K 1 are predicted. Further promising candidates of composition SmFe 12 AN with A = Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ti, V, Al, Si, or P are identified which potentially reach (BH) max values higher than 400 kJ/m 3 combined with significant K 1 values, while containing almost 50% less rare-earth atoms than Nd 2 Fe 14 B.

Exchange Interactions and Curie Temperature of Ce-Substituted SmCo5

A partial substitution such as Ce in SmCo 5 could be a brilliant way to improve the magnetic performance, because it will introduce strain in the structure and breaks the lattice symmetry in a way that enhances the contribution of the Co atoms to magnetocrystalline anisotropy. However, Ce substitutions, which are benefit to improve the magnetocrystalline anisotropy, are detrimental to enhance the Curie temperature ( T C ). With the requirements of wide operating temperature range of magnetic devices, it is important to quantitatively explore the relationship between the T C and ferromagnetic exchange energy. In this paper we show, based on mean-field approximation, artificial tensile strain in SmCo 5 induced by substitution leads to enhanced effective ferromagnetic exchange energy and T C , even though Ce atom itself reduces T C .

Massive Stokes shift in 12-coordinate Ce(NO2)63-: crystal structure, vibrational and electronic spectra

The Ce³⁺ ion in Cs₂NaCe(NO₂)₆ (I), which comprises the unusual T_h site symmetry of the Ce(NO₂)₆³⁻ ion, demonstrates the largest Ce-O Stokes shift of 8715 cm⁻¹ and the low emission quenching temperature of 53 K. The activation energy for quenching changes with temperature, attributed to relative shifts of the two potential energy curves involved. The splitting of the Ce³⁺ 5d¹ state into two levels separated by 4925 cm⁻¹ is accounted for by a first principles calculation using the crystal structure data of I. The NO₂⁻ energy levels and spectra were investigated also in Cs₂NaLa(NO₂)₆ and modelled by hybrid DFT. The vibrational and electronic spectral properties have been thoroughly investigated and rationalized at temperatures down to 10 K. A comparison of Stokes shifts with other Ce-O systems emphasizes the dependence upon the coordination number of Ce³⁺.

Theoretical screening of intermetallic ThMn12-type phases for new hard-magnetic compounds with low rare earth content

We report on theoretical investigations of intermetallic phases derived from the ThMn₁₂-type crystal structure. Our computational high-throughput screening (HTS) approach is extended to an estimation of the anisotropy constant K₁, the anisotropy field H_a and the energy product (BH)_max. The calculation of K₁ is fast since it is based on the crystal field parameters and avoids expensive total-energy calculations with many k-points. Thus the HTS approach allows a very efficient search for hard-magnetic materials for which the magnetization M and the coercive field H_c connected to H_a represent the key quantities. Besides for NdFe₁₂N which has the highest magnetization we report HTS results for several intermetallic phases based on Cerium which are interesting as alternative hard-magnetic phases because Cerium is a less ressource-critical element than Neodymium.

DFT calculations of crystal-field parameters for the lanthanide ions in the LaCl3 crystal

We present herein a calculation of crystal-field (CF) parameters for the lanthanide ions in the LaCl(3) crystal, using the density functional theory-based orbital-free embedding formalism in conjunction with the effective Hamiltonian method. The calculated values for the second- and fourth-rank CF parameters agree fairly well with the experimental data. It is found that the effect of ligand polarization plays a crucial role in determining the sign and magnitude of the second-rank CF parameters, while the effect of Pauli repulsion between 4f electrons and the ligands is important for the fourth-rank CF parameters. The usefulness of the present approach is illustrated by a study of the relative preference of Eu(3 + ) occupation on the two distinct Pb(2 + ) sites in the KPb(2)Cl(5) crystal. The computational approach and results discussed in this work are useful for a better understanding and simulation of the CF effect in the lanthanide-containing systems.

Structural basis for the observed differential magnetic anisotropic tensorial values in calcium binding proteins

Lanthanide ions (Ln(3+)), which have ionic radii similar to those of Ca(2+), can displace the latter in a calcium binding protein, without affecting its tertiary structure. The paramagnetic Ln(3+) possesses large anisotropic magnetic susceptibilities and produce pseudocontact shifts (PCSs), which have r(-3) dependence. The PCS can be seen for spins as far as 45 A from the paramagnetic ion. They aid in structure refinement of proteins by providing long-range distance constraints. Besides, they can be used to determine the interdomain orientation in multidomain proteins. This is particularly important in the context of a calcium binding protein from Entamoeba histolytica (EhCaBP), which consists of two globular domains connected by a flexible linker region containing 8 residues. As a first step to obtain the interdomain orientation in EhCaBP, a suite of 2D and 3D heteronuclear experiments were recorded on EhCaBP by displacing calcium with Ce(3+), Ho(3+), Er(3+), Tm(3+), Dy(3+), and Yb(3+) ions in separate experiments, and the PCS of (1)H(N) and (15)N spins were measured. Such data have been used in the refinement of the individual domain structures of the protein in parallel with the calculation of the respective magnetic anisotropy tensorial values, which differ substantially (2.1-2.8 times) from what is found in other Ca(2+) binding loops. This study provides a structural basis for such variations in the magnetic anisotropy tensorial values.

Magnetic anisotropy terms in [110] MBE-grown REFe(2) films involving the strain term ε(xy)

The magnetic anisotropy parameters in [110] MBE-grown films of REFe(2) (RE, rare earth) compounds are not the same as those in the bulk. This is due to the presence of a shear strain ε(xy), frozen-in during crystal growth. In this paper, magnetic anisotropy parameters for [110] MBE-grown REFe(2) films, that directly involve the shear strain ε(xy), are presented and discussed. In addition to the usual first-order Callen and Callen term [Formula: see text], there are nine second-order terms, six of which involve cross-terms between ε(xy) and the cubic crystal field terms B(4) and B(6). Two of the second-order cross-terms are identified as being important: [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Of these, the rank-two term [Formula: see text] dominates over a large temperature range. It has the same angular dependence as the first-order term [Formula: see text], but with a more rapid temperature dependence. The correction at T = 0 K for TbFe(2), DyFe(2), HoFe(2), ErFe(2) and TmFe(2), amounts to ∼+9.2%, -13.9%, -11.6%, +14.3%, and 27.1%, respectively. Similar comments are made concerning the rank-four [Formula: see text] term.