Structural, thermodynamic and magnetotransport properties of half-Heusler compound HoPtSb

K. Ciesielski^a *, D. Gnida^a, H. Borrmann^b, R. Ramlau^b, Yu. Prots^b, D. Szymański^a, Yu. Grin^b, D. Kaczorowski^a

^aInstitute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 1410 50-950 Wrocław, Poland
^bMax-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe, 01187 Dresden, Germany

Rare-earth-bearing half-Heusler phases are well-known materials with many possible applications. However, their crystalline structure is still disputed. Our recent X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies on HoPtSb revealed that the platinum atoms are off-centered from their nominal Wyckoff positions 4c(1, 1, 1) to quarterly occupied slots 16e(x, x, x), with x = 0.2604(1). The structural disturbance is also visible in the transport properties. High-temperature behavior of the electrical resistivity was attributed to violation of the Matthiessen’s rule, while at low temperatures, strong magnetic field of 14 T disclosed resistivity upturn reminiscent of Altshuler-Aronov quantum correction observed in disordered metallic systems. The obtained results are part of a larger scientific project dedicated to the half-Heusler phases (http://heuslers.intibs.pl/index.php/eng).

J. Alloys Compds. 829 (2020) 154467.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2020.154467