Physical properties of the β-Ti₆Sn₅ system

Abstract

The current work reports the specific heat, the resistivity and the magnetic susceptibility of both single-crystal and polycrystalline β-Ti₆Sn₅ at cryogenic temperatures. The effects of small additions of magnetic and non-magnetic impurities were examined. Resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal that the undoped material is a Pauli paramagnet displaying Fermi-liquid behaviour, while ferromagnetic ordering was observed at T150K with small additions of Ce, La or Co. Analysis of the electronic specific heat γ and magnetic susceptibility gives an unexpectedly large Wilson ratio R _w of 1.76, a value indicative of correlated electron behaviour. We present the general physical properties and based on the sensitivity of the magnetic properties to doping, show evidence that β-Ti₆Sn₅ exhibits a ground state in close proximity to a non-magnetic and magnetic phase boundary.