A NEUTRON DIFFRACTION STUDY OF THE STRUCTURE AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF Y2 (Fe1-xSix)14B

The crystallographic and magnetic properties of Y2 (Fel-,Six),, B, where x equals 0.00, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15, have been investigated by neutron diffraction and magnetic measurements.The substitution of Fe by Si results in an increase of Curie temperature.The preferential occupation by Si atoms among the six nonequivalent crystallographic sites of Fe has been determined.The magnetic properties and their relationship to the atomic ordering are interpreted in terms of the different electronic behavior of the Fe atoms with respect to their nearest neighbors.