Structural and magnetic properties of Fe<inf>2</inf>P-type R <inf>6</inf>TX<inf>2</inf> compounds (R = Zr, Dy, Ho, Er, T = Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Ru, Rh, X = Sb, Bi, Te)

Several new Fe2P-type compounds (space group P62̄m) namely Ho6RuSb2, Ho6RuBi2, Ho 6RuTe2, Ho6MnTe2, Dy 6MnTe2, Dy6RuTe2, Er 6MnTe2 and Zr6CuBi2 were detected. The magnetic properties of the Fe2P-type Ho6RuSb 2, Ho6RuTe2, Ho6MnTe2, Dy6FeBi2, Dy6MnBi2 and Dy 6Mn0.33Fe0.67Bi2 compounds have been studied by means of bulk magnetization measurements. The magnetic structures of Ho6MnTe2 and Ho6FeBi2 were investigated by a neutron diffraction study in zero applied magnetic field. The structural and magnetic data for Ho-based Fe2P-type compounds are analyzed in order to arrive at an empirical rules for entire series of Fe 2P-type intermetallics. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.