Magnetic ordering in the ternary germanide Ce2Ni3Ge5 as studied by neutron powder diffraction

Abstract Neutron powder diffraction investigations on Ce2Ni3Ge5 have been carried out. This compound adopts the U2Co3Si5-type structure (Ibam space group) with only one crystallographic site available for Ce atoms. Magnetisation measurements indicate that Ce2Ni3Ge5 undergoes two antiferromagnetic transitions at low temperature, at TN1=4.8(2) K and TN2=4.2(2) K, respectively. From our neutron diffraction experiments, only one transition is evidenced, below TN1, Ce2Ni3Ge5 is a collinear antiferromagnet with magnetic moments parallel to the a-axis and equal to 0.4(1) μ B / Ce at T=1.4 K.