Structure and physical properties of Ho5Co6Sn18

The Ho5Co6Sn18 alloy was prepared by arc melting and analyzed by means of the X-ray diffraction technique and Rietveld refinement. The thermal expansion of Ho5Co6Sn18 was investigated from 298 K to 753 K. The magnetic property of Ho5Co6Sn18 was measured from 5 K to 300 K. The electrical property of Ho5Co6Sn18 was also examined in the temperature range of 2 K-300 K. The Ho5Co6Sn18 compound has a tetragonal Tb5Rh6Sn18-type structure (space group I4(1)/acd (No. 142), a = 1.3556(1) nm, c = 2.7034(2) nm, and Z = 8). The average thermal expansion coefficients alpha(a), alpha(c) and alpha(v) of Ho5Co6Sn18 are 1.03 x 10(-5) K-1, 1.39 x 10(-5) K-1 and 3.40 x 10(-5) K-1, respectively. The Ho5Co6Sn18 compound has a ferromagnetic transition at T-c = 127(5) K and an anti-ferromagnetic transition at T-N = 7.6 K, respectively. The electrical property measurement indicates that the compound Ho5Co6Sn18 exhibits a typical metallic behavior.