Magnetic anisotropy of YbNi4P2

We report on transport and magnetic measurements between 1.8 and 400 K on single crystalline YbNi4P2, which was recently reported to be a heavy fermion system with a low lying ferromagnetic transition at T_C=0.17 K, based on data from polycrystals. The tetragonal crystal structure of YbNi4P2 presents quasi-one-dimensional Yb chains along the c direction. Here we show that at high temperatures, the magnetic anisotropy of YbNi4P2 is dominated by the crystal electrical field effect with an Ising-type behaviour, which gets more pronounced towards lower temperatures. The electrical resistivity also reflects the strong anisotropy of the crystal structure and favours transport along c, the direction of the Yb chains.Comment: SCES 2011 proceedings, in pres

Synthesis of ultra-refractory transition metal diboride compounds

This paper critically evaluates methods used to synthesize boride compounds with emphasis on diborides of the early transition metals. The earliest reports of the synthesis of boride ceramics used impure elemental powders to produce multiphase reaction products; phase-pure borides were only synthesized after processes were established to purify elemental boron. Carbothermal reduction of the corresponding transition metal oxides emerged as a viable production route and continues to be the primary method for the synthesis of commercial transition metal diboride powders. Even though reaction-based processes and chemical synthesis methods are mainly used for research studies, they are powerful tools for producing diborides because they provide the ability to tailor purity and particle size. The choice of synthesis method requires balancing factors that include cost, purity, and particle size with the performance needed in expected applications