Synthesis, structure and magnetism of ErCoIn5

A new member of the LnMIn(5) family, ErCoIn5, has been synthesized by a flux-growth method. The structure of ErCoIn5 was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P4/mmm, Z = 1, with lattice parameters a = 4.5400(4) and c = 7.3970(7) angstrom, and V = 152.46(2) angstrom(3). Electrical resistivity data show metallic behavior. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show this compound to be antiferromagnetic with T-N = 5.1 K. We compare these experimental results with those of LaCoIn5 in an effort to better understand the effect of the structural trends observed on the transport and magnetic properties.