Preparation and physical properties of antiperovskite-type compounds CdNCo3-zNiz (0≤z≤3)

A series of CdNCo3-zNiz (0≤z≤3) samples were prepared from CdO and metal powders under NH3 atmosphere at 743 K. The structural and physical properties were investigated by means of X-ray powder diffraction, temperature dependent resistivity and magnetic measurements. X-ray powder diffraction results show that CdNCo3 is a new ternary nitride with antiperovskite structure, and it can form a complete solid solution series with CdNNi3. Both CdNCo3 and CdNNi3 samples show metallic temperature dependent resistivity and exhibit a Fermi liquid behavior below 50 K. All samples are ferromagnetic, and their coercivity and remanence decrease as the Ni content increases. The temperature dependence of the magnetization of the CdNCo3-zNiz samples can be well fitted to the combination of a Bloch term and a Curie-Weiss term. The CdNCo3 sample is ferromagnet with coercivity of 240 Oe at room-temperature. In contrast to the paramagnetism previously reported, our CdNNi3 sample exhibits very soft and weak ferromagnetism. - Graphical Abstract: CdNCo3 is a new ternary nitride with antiperovskite structure, and it can form a complete solid solution series with CdNNi3. Highlights: → CdNCo3-zNiz (0≤z≤3) samples were synthesized by solid-gas reactions. → CdNCo3 is a new ternary antiperovskite nitride, and it can form a complete solid solution series with CdNNi3. → Both CdNCo3 and CdNNi3 samples show metallic behavior and exhibit a Fermi liquid behavior below 50 K. → Magnetic measurements show that CdNCo3 and CdNNi3 exhibit ferromagnetic and weak ferromagnetic behavior, respectively.