Law and Disorder: Special Stacking Units-Building the Intergrowth CeCoGe.

A new structure type of composition CeCoGe was grown out of a molten Sn flux. CeCoGe crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm, with highly anisotropic lattice parameters of a = 4.3293(5) Å, b = 55.438(8) Å, and c = 4.3104(4) Å. The resulting single crystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction, and the magnetic and transport properties are presented. The Sn-stabilized structure of CeCoGe is based on the stacking of disordered Ce cuboctahedra and is an intergrowth of existing structure types including AlB, BaNiSn, and AuCu. The stacking of structural subunits has previously been shown to be significant in the fields of superconductivity, quantum materials, and optical materials. Herein, we present the synthesis, characterization, and complex magnetic behavior of CeCoGe at low temperature, including three distinct magnetic transitions.