Growth and characterization of Ce₂Pt₆Pb

Since its discovery in the late 1970s, heavy-fermion electronic behavior has been observed in a wide variety of Ce-containing materials. The effective mass of the conduction electrons in these materials can be greater than the free-electron mass by orders of magnitude, which subsequently influences the electronic contribution to electric resistivity and specific heat. We have grown crystals of Ce₂Pt₆Pb, a new heavy-fermion compound with a cubic crystal structure, using the self-flux method. From magnetization measurements, we identify an antiferromagnetic transition at T_N = 1.25 K and a magnetic moment per Ce atom of 2.48 μ_B, which is close to the free Ce³⁺ value and indicative of a J = 5/2 ground state of the Ce ions. The electronic specific-heat coefficient is large, consistent with strong electronic correlations typical of heavy-fermion materials. We furthermore compare the structural and magnetic properties of Ce₂Pt₆Pb with those of its non-magnetic analog La₂Pt₆Pb.