Metallurgy and characterization of R2Ni2Pb intermetallic compounds

Using a special cooling procedure we have grown single crystal platelets of the newly discovered rare-earth R2Ni2Pb intermetallic compounds with R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, and Er. The material was synthesized in a single-phase and on-stoichiometry form. We characterized the compounds by X-ray diffraction, electron probe micro-analysis, and Laue X-ray diffraction. Some physical properties are illustrated, e.g. magnetic susceptibility and resistivity