Synthesis, structure and physical properties of ternary Ce-based compound Ce₃VAs₅

A new Ce-based compound Ce₃VAs₅ has been synthesized at high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. The physical properties were investigated through the crystal structure, magnetism, electrical transport, and specific heat measurements. The compound crystallizes in a hexagonal Hf₅Sn₃Cu-anti-type structure with the space group of P6₃/mcm, which consists of face-sharing octahedral VAs₆ chains and zig-zag like Ce-chains along the c axis. It undergoes a ferromagnetic-like ordering at T_N = 14 K due to the Ce-lattice, and exhibits heavy fermion behavior with a Sommerfeld coefficient of γ ∼ 128 mJ/(Ce-mol⋅K²). The Kondo temperature T_K is determined to be ∼ 19 K. The deviation of paramagnetic susceptibility from Curie–Weiss law is related to the crystal electric field (CEF) effects, and the abnormal drop in the resistivity is attributed to the synergistic interaction between CEF effect and Kondo scattering. Due to its quasi one-dimensional structure, Ce₃VAs₅ provides a good opportunity to study the anisotropy relative to Kondo effect in the future.