Magnetic properties and structure of the nanocrystalline Gd-Ti-Ge intermetallic compound

This paper reports an experimental study of the magnetization processes and structure of the Gd-Ti-Ge compound in the initial coarse-grained state and a nanostructured state obtained under torsion at a high quasihydrostatic pressure. It is established that in a nanocrystalline sample, the magnetic ordering temperature is 30 K lower. the coercive force is eight times higher, and the magnetization is 3.7 times lower than their respective values in a coarse-grained sample. The observed changes in the magnetic properties art: shown to be related primarily with the conversion of a part of the initial phase with the CeScSi-type lattice to a CeFeSi-type weakly magnetic phase. The effect of structural defects and of partial disorder on the magnetic characteristics of the compound are also discussed. (C) 2001 MAIK compound are also discussed. (C) 2001 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".