Anisotropic magnetic and transport properties of orthorhombic o-Pr2Co3Ge5

The crystal structure, electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), heat capacity, and anisotropic magnetic and resistivity measurements are reported for Sn flux grown single crystals of orthorhombic Pr2Co3Ge5 (U2Co3Si5-type, Ibam). Our findings show that o-Pr2Co3Ge5 hosts nearly trivalent Pr ions, as evidenced by EELS and fits to temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements. Complex magnetic ordering with a partially spin-polarized state emerges near T (sp) = 32 K, with a spin reconfiguration transition near T (M) = 15 K. Heat capacity measurements show that the phase transitions appear as broad peaks in the vicinity of T (sp) and T (M). The magnetic entropy further reveals that crystal electric field splitting lifts the Hund's rule degeneracy at low temperatures. Taken together, these measurements show that Pr2Co3Ge5 is an environment for complex f state magnetism with potential strongly correlated electron states.

Automated summary

The crystal structure and various measurements of Sn flux grown single crystals of orthorhombic Pr2Co3Ge5 were reported, showing the complex magnetic ordering with a partially spin-polarized state.