57Fe Mössbauer
spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and magnetic measurements have been used to study the polycrystalline
Er2−xPrxFe14B
(x = 0.25,
0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5) compounds. Special emphasis was put on the spin reorientation phenomena
(change of spin orientation from planar to axial arrangement) occurring in this series. The
spin reorientation in each compound has been investigated mainly by means of narrow step
temperature scanning in the neighbourhood of the spin reorientation temperature,
TSR.
Initial magnetization versus temperature measurements allowed us to establish the
temperature regions of reorientations and also the Curie temperatures of the compounds.
Mössbauer temperature scanning was performed with a step of 2 K in the vicinity of
TSR. The spectra obtained were analysed by using a procedure of simultaneous
fitting and the transmission integral approach. Consistent fits were obtained;
TSR
and the composition dependences of hyperfine interaction parameters were derived from fits
for all compounds studied.
The TSR
values obtained with both methods were compared and the spin phase diagram for the
series was constructed.