Magnetic and electrical properties in UCuSn, UPdIn and Th-substituted UNiSn

Abstract High-field magnetization, susceptibility and electrical resistivity were measured for uranium-based compounds UCuSn, UPdIn and U 1− x Th x NiSn with different crystal structures. UCuSn with the hexagonal CaIn 2 -type structure is an antiferromagnet with T N = 60 K. The resistivity holds a rather larger value of 0.8 mΩ cm at high temperatures but turns up below T N . UPdIn with the hexagonal Fe 2 P-type structure is a heavy-electron compound with double magnetic transitions. A c -axis modulated structure, which appears at T N = 21 K, changes into a squaring-up structure along the c -axis below T c = 8.5 K. At 4.2 K, the M(H) curve up to 36 T reveals a three step metamagnetism for the aligned powder. UNiSn with the cubic MgAgAs-type structure exhibits a semiconductor to metal transition at T N = 45 K, where a type I antiferromagnetic ordering sets in. Th substitution leads to a decrease in T N and prevents the transition to the metallic state.