CuFeAs: A New Member in the 111-Family of Iron-Pnictides

TL;DR

This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of CuFeAs, a new 111-type iron-pnictide with antiferromagnetic order below 9 K, highlighting its magnetic properties and structural similarity to other iron-based superconductors.

Contribution

The study introduces CuFeAs as a new member of the 111-family of iron-pnictides with detailed structural and magnetic characterization.

Findings

CuFeAs has a layered tetragonal structure similar to 111-type iron superconductors.

It exhibits antiferromagnetic transition below 9 K.

CuFeAs does not show superconductivity down to 2 K.

Abstract

We have synthesized CuFeAs, a new iron-pnictide compound with a layered tetragonal Cu2Sb type structure (space group P4/nmm: a = b = 3.7442(2) {\AA} and c = 5.8925(4) {\AA}) that is identical to that of 111-type iron-based superconductors. Our measurements suggest that in low applied magnetic field it undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition below TN ~ 9 K. When compared with the ground state of CuFeSb, recently reported 111-type ferromagnetic material (TC ~ 375 K), it has important implication with regard to the nature of Fe-Fe magnetic interaction in Fe-As materials. CuFeAs does not exhibit superconductivity down to 2 K.