Ferromagnetism in the Kondo-lattice compound CePd2P2.

We report physical properties of CePd2P2 crystallizing in the tetragonal ThCr2Si2-type structure (space group I4/mmm). Dc-magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, specific heat, electrical resistivity and magnetoresistance measurements establish a ferromagnetic ordering below the Curie temperature TC = 28.4 ± 0.2 K. Critical analysis of isothermal and isofield magnetization yields critical exponents of β = 0.405 ± 0.005, γ = 1.11 ± 0.05 and δ = 3.74 ± 0.04. The ordered state is characterized by saturation moment Ms ∼ 0.98μB and magnon energy gap Δ/kB ∼25–35 K. The studied properties reflect a competing influence of the Kondo and crystalline electric field (CEF) interactions. The strength of the Kondo effect is assigned by a low-temperature Kondo scale TK ∼19 ± 10 K and a high-temperature Kondo scale TK ~ H 117 } 10 K. A model of the inelastic scattering of the conduction electrons with an exchanged CEF energy ΔCEF was applied to the magnetic resistivity. An average value ΔCEF = 260 ± 30 K is consistent in the relationships with TK and TK H. We argue that the CePd2P2 compound appears to be a new ferromagnetic Kondo-lattice among the Ce-based intermetallics.