The impact of the magnetic impurity phases on the magnetic behavior in valence fluctuating compound Ce2Rh3Ge

Magnetic properties of the Ce2Rh3Ge compound are studied by combined investigations involving magnetization and susceptibility measurements, electron microscopy with energy dispersive analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as band structure calculations. Our calculations well agree with the experimental XPS data and predict non-magnetic ground state for the Ce2Rh3Ge. We attribute the previously reported weak magnetic ordering in the Ce2Rh3Ge to the presence of the magnetic impurity phase composed mainly from the Ce5RhGe2. The amount of the impurity phase determined from structural investigations explains quantitatively magnetic properties published in previous reports. The magnetic ground state of Ce5RhGe2 phase was determined from the DFT based calculations.