The Structure and Magnetic Properties of Ho2 Co17-xSix Compounds

The effects of substituting small amounts of Si for Co on the structure and magnetic properties of Ho2Co17 compounds were studied by means of X-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements. All samples are of single phase with the Th2Ni17-type structure. The substitution of Si for Co leads to an approximately linear decreasing in the unit cell volume. The analysis indicates that the saturation magnetization of Ho2Co17-xSix is found to decrease as x increasing from 0 to 3. From thermomagnetization curves measurements, it is assumed that Ho2Co17-xSix compounds display the plane anisotropy at x=0.5. A spin reorientation occurs turning from base-plane into c-axis for 0.5