Site Occupancy Determination in Th₂Zn₁₇- and TbCu₇-types Sm₂Fe_17-Co Compounds using Synchrotron Resonant Diffraction

Sm₂Fe₁₇ compounds are high-performance permanent magnets. Cobalt substitution allows us to further improve their magnetic properties. Depending on the thermal treatment, cobalt-substituted compounds can be synthesized either in the TbCu₇ (disordered) or in the Th₂Zn₁₇ (ordered) structure type. Rietveld refinement of the number of transition metal dumbbells replacing rare-earth atoms from synchrotron powder diffraction data shows that the TbCu₇ disordered structure has the same composition as the ordered one (a transition metal-to-rare earth ratio of 8.5). Then, cobalt site occupancies have been determined in both structures using synchrotron resonant (anomalous) diffraction. Cobalt is found to be absent from the dumbbell sites. The diffraction results are confirmed by Mössbauer spectroscopy.