Gadolinium Boride (GdB6)-Powder

Gadolinium Boride, also called Gadolinium Hexaboride, is one of the rare earth borides, the molecular formula is GdB₆. In the metallic compound GdB₆, gadolinium shows a very unusual magnetic behavior. GdB₆ crystallizes in a cubic CaB₆-type structure and orders antiferromagnetically at T_N=16 K. While no crystal field splitting is expected for the Gd³⁺ ground state, earlier studies showed deviations from the Curie-Weiss law of magnetic susceptibility far above T_N and a Schottky anomaly at 30 K in the specific heat measure-ments. The existence of short-range ordering above T_N to explain the anomalous magnetic behavior in GdB₆ Recent studies of the electrical resistivity and magnetic torque reveal the existence of a second magnetic transition around 10 K in zero magnetic field and a more complicated magnetic field-versus-temperature phase diagram.