Physical properties of the new Uranium ternary compounds U3Bi4M3 (M=Ni, Rh)

TL;DR

This study introduces two new uranium-based compounds, U3Bi4Ni3 and U3Bi4Rh3, revealing their distinct electronic behaviors and suggesting U3Bi4Rh3 as a potential ferromagnetic quantum critical point material.

Contribution

The paper reports the synthesis and characterization of two novel uranium ternary compounds with distinct electronic properties, including potential quantum criticality in U3Bi4Rh3.

Findings

U3Bi4Ni3 is non-metallic.

U3Bi4Rh3 is nearly ferromagnetic and shows signs of quantum criticality.

U3Bi4Rh3 exhibits Fermi-liquid behavior under high magnetic fields.

Abstract

We report the properties of two new isostructural compounds, U3Bi4Ni3 and U3Bi4Rh3. The first of these compounds is non-metallic, and the second is a nearly ferromagnetic metal, both as anticipated from their electron count relative to other U-based members of the larger 3-4-3 family. For U3Bi4Rh3, a logarithmic increase of C/T below 3 K, a resistivity proportional to T^4/3, and the recovery of Fermi-liquid behavior in both properties with applied fields greater than 3T, suggest that U3Bi4Rh3 may be a new example of a material displaying ferromagnetic quantum criticality.