High-pressure synthesis of ferromagnetic Mn 3 Ge with the Cu 3 Au-type structure

A new intermetallic compound, Mn 3 Ge, has been synthesized by direct reaction of elemental components at 6.2 GPa and 1000°C for 30 min using a belt-type high-pressure apparatus. The compound crystallizes into a cubic structure with the space group Pm 3 m , namely the L1 2 -type (Cu 3 Au-type) structure. The structure was refined by Rietveld analysis of the powder x-ray diffraction data and the lattice constant was determined as a = 0.380 19(3) nm. The compound shows metallic conductivity and ferromagnetism with a Curie temperature of 400 K.