Effect of Mn on the magnetic and electrical properties of Ho0.85Tb0.15Fe2

In the present article, we report the effect of Mn substitution for Fe on the temperature dependence of magnetization, AC magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity of Ho 0.85 Tb 0.15 Fe 2 .The compounds Ho 0.85 Tb 0.15 Fe (2-x) Mnx [x = 0-2] form in single phase with cubic Laves phase structure and the lattice parameter increases with the addition of Mn. The Curie temperature decreases with increasing Mn content due to the reduction in the exchange splitting between the spin up and spin down bands. The magnetization value (at H = 70 kOe) at 5 K is found to increase with increasing Mn concentration. Since the nearest (Mn/Fe)-(Mn/Fe) distances are less than or very close to the critical distance, the Mn atoms do not carry any magnetic moment.