Magnetic and electrical properties of RCo2Mn (R=Ho, Er) compounds

The RCo2Mn (R=Ho and Er) alloys, crystallizing in the cubic MgCu2-type structure, are isostructural to RCo2 compounds. The excess Mn occupies both the R and the Co atomic positions. Magnetic, electrical and heat capacity measurements have been done in these compounds. The Curie temperature is found to be 248 and 222 K for HoCo2Mn and ErCo2Mn, respectively, which is considerably higher than that of the corresponding RCo2 compounds. Saturation magnetization values in these samples are less compared to that of the respective RCo2 compounds.