A new double-layered kagome antiferromagnet ScFe$_6$Ge$_4$

Abstract

ScFe$_6$Ge$_4$ with the LiFe$_6$Ge$_4$-type structure (space group $R{\bar{3}}m$), which has a double-layered kagome lattice (18$h$ site) of Fe crystallographically equivalent to that of a well-known topological ferromagnet Fe$_3$Sn$_2$, is newly found to be antiferromagnetic (AFM) with a high N\'eel temperature of $T_{\rm{N}} \approx 650$ K, in contrast to the ferromagnetic (FM) ground state previously proposed in a literature. $^{45}$Sc nuclear magnetic resonance experiment revealed the absence of a hyperfine field at the Sc site, providing microscopic evidence for the AFM state and indicating AFM coupling between the bilayer kagome blocks. The stability of the AFM structure under the assumption of FM intra-bilayer coupling is verified by DFT calculations.