The self-organized vacancy order in Pr$_9$Ge$_{16}$

Abstract

In this work, we report the discovery of a new crystal structure on the Ge-rich side of the Pr-Ge binary phase diagram. Using a high-temperature flux technique, we grew single crystals of $Pr_9Ge_{16}$, which adopt a previously unreported orthorhombic $Fdd$2 structure type featuring ordered Ge vacancies. We present the anisotropic magnetic properties and identify the crystallographic $b$ axis perpendicular to the crystal plane as the magnetic easy axis. Temperature-dependent resistivity measurements reveal metallic behavior with a distinct anomaly at $T_{\mathrm{C}}$ = 14.3 K. Hall resistivity data indicate that electron-like carriers dominate, with a carrier concentration on the order of $10^{27}~\mathrm{m}^{-3}$. The magnetic order is readily suppressed by a magnetic field of approximately 0.4 T applied along the easy $b$ axis.