Intermediate valence of CeNi2Al3 compound and its evidences: Theoretical and experimental approach

We present measurements of magnetic, transport and electronic properties obtained for polycrystalline CeNi2Al3 intermetallic compound. Magnetic susceptibility χ(T) was investigated in the range from 2 to 700 K, and its behavior is characteristic of a compound with unstable valence, varying between Ce3+ and Ce4+. In the temperature range down to 2 K there was no trace of magnetic order, no anomalies in the temperature dependence of the specific heat were found. The Sommerfeld coefficient extracted from the linear term of the heat capacity takes a value of γ = 21 mJ/(mol K2). The dependence of S(T) is linear up to about 25 K, which is symptomatic of a thermopower in the Fermi's liquid regime.