Influence of Co on the magnetism of HoFe5Al7

Effects of the Co substitution for Fe on the strongly anisotropic ferrimagnet HoFe5Al7 are studied on single-crystalline samples with a tetragonal crystal structure of the ThMn12-type. For HoFe5-xCoxAl7, we found the homogeneity range up to x = 2.5. The Co substitution results in a shrinkage of the tetragonal lattice within the basal plane, whereas the c parameter does not change. The exchange interactions and magnetic anisotropy are strongly affected by the Co substitution. The detrimental effect of Co on the Curie temperature TC in HoFe5-xCoxAl7 compounds is very unusual. The Curie temperature linearly falls from 216 K for x = 0-67 K for x = 2.5, which is unexpected because the Co substitution for Fe in 3d-4f intermetallic compounds usually increases the magnetic ordering temperatures due to the strengthening of exchange interactions. At the same time, the compensation temperature changes very little between 65 K and 72 K. At 2 K, spontaneous magnetic moment increases from 2 μB at x = 0-4.2 μB at x = 2.5. Magnetization measurements have been performed in pulsed magnetic fields up to 58 T. The compounds exhibit a high magnetic anisotropy of the easy-plane type with the [110] axis as the easy-magnetization direction. Along the easy axis, two first-order field-induced magnetic transitions (at 17 T and 37 T) are observed for HoFe5Al7 and one transition at 27 T for HoFe4CoAl7. The magnetization curve has an S-shape for HoFe3Co2Al7.