Magnetic and transport properties of Pr2Pt3Si5

We have investigated the magnetic and transport properties of a polycrystalline Pr2Pt3Si5 sample through the dc and ac magnetic susceptibilities, electrical resistivity, and specific heat measurements. The Rietveld refinement of the powder X-ray diffraction data reveals that Pr2Pt3Si5 crystallizes in the U2Co3Si5-type orthorhombic structure (space group Ibam). Both the dc and ac magnetic susceptibility data measured at low fields exhibit sharp anomaly near 15K. In contrast, the specific heat data exhibit only a broad anomaly implying no long range magnetic order down to 2K. The broad Schottky-type anomaly in low temperature specific heat data is interpreted in terms of crystal electric field (CEF) effect, and a CEF-split singlet ground state is inferred. The absence of the long range order is attributed to the presence of nonmagnetic singlet ground state of the Pr3+ ion. The electrical resistivity data exhibit metallic behavior and are well described by the Bloch–Grüniesen–Mott relation. ► We report synthesis, structural, magnetic and transport properties of a new compound Pr2Pt3Si5. ► No long range magnetic order is observed down to 2K. ► A broad Schottky-type anomaly is observed in low-T specific heat due to crystal field effect. ► A singlet ground state in this compound is held responsible for the absence of long range order. ► The electrical resistivity is well described by the metallic Bloch–Grüniesen–Mott relation.