Structure and paramagnetism in weakly correlated Y8Co5.

We report the basic physical properties of monoclinic Y8Co5 determined by means of magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and specific heat measurements. The crystal structure of Y8Co5 is monoclinic (P2(1)/c) with lattice parameters a = 7.0582(6) Å, b = 7.2894(6) Å, c = 24.2234(19) Å, and β = 102.112(6)° as refined by using synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction data. The compound shows temperature independent paramagnetism with χ0 = 2.1 × 10(-3) emu mol(-1) and Sommerfeld parameter γ = 63 mJ mol(-1) K(-2). The calculated Wilson ratio for Y8Co5, R(W) = 1.4, is close to that expected for a free electron gas R(W) = 1. Low temperature resistivity under high pressure does not reveal superconductivity in this compound down to 1.2 K, up to hydrostatic pressures of 5.56 GPa. Band structure calculations (full-potential linearized augmented plane wave, FP-LAPW) derive the Stoner exchange interaction parameter S = 0.24, excluding magnetic behavior for Y8Co5.