Valence Instabilities, Phase Transitions, and Abrupt Lattice Expansion at 5 K in the YbGaGe System

Abstract
The powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction technique was used to study the thermal expansion behavior of the mixed valence layered compound, YbGa1.05Ge0.95 in the temperature range 3−1123 K. A surprising abrupt isosymmetric phase transition, accompanied by a dramatic volume increase (negative thermal expansion), was found at 5 K induced by a sudden Yb valence transition from +(2 + ε) toward +2. At high temperatures, the material undergoes a transformation to a highly disordered structure until it eventually collapses at 1123 K to a structure with isovalent Yb ions and flat Ga/Ge planes (AlB2 type).