Th3Co3Sb4: A New Room Temperature Magnet

The new ternary compound Th3Co3Sb4 was synthesized by arc melting. The compound crystallizes in the cubic space group I43d (No. 220) with a=9.572(2) ? and adopts the Y3Au3Sb4 structure, which is a filled version of the Th3P4 structure type. The crystal structure was solved and refined with single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Final R1/Rw2=1.52/3.73%. Th3Co3Sb4 is a metallic ferromagnet at room temperature. Electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power measurements show metallic behavior, which is also predicted by the electronic band structure calculations.