Magnetization, resistivity and heat capacity of the anisotropic RVSb3 crystals (R=La–Nd, Sm, Gd–Dy)

Single crystals of rare-earth vanadium triantimonides RVSb3, with R=La–Nd, Sm and Gd–Dy are grown out of solution. The substitution of heavier rare-earths makes the orthorhombic structure contract and accompanies changes in the magnetic properties throughout the series. Characterization of RVSb3 family was made with single-crystal X-ray diffraction, temperature and field-dependent magnetization M(T, H), heat capacity C(T) and resistivity ρ(T). All of the compounds are metallic, and all, with the exceptions of non-magnetic LaVSb3 and ferromagnetic CeVSb3, show features typical of antiferromagnetic order. Thermodynamic and transport measurements indicate that these materials are highly anisotropic magnetically, due to the crystal electric field splitting of the Hund's ground state, but only manifest a moderate electrical anisotropy. Given the relative scarcity of Ce-based ferromagnets, the temperature-dependent magnetization of CeVSb3 was measured under applied hydrostatic pressure up to 10 kbar, and Tc increases at the rate of 0.14(1) K kbar−1.