Magnetic and transport properties of the antiferromagnetic Kondo-lattice compound CeNiBi2

We report results of studies on the magnetic and transport properties of CeNiBi2. The magnetic susceptibility exhibits a sharp peak at TN = 6 K, indicating an antiferromagnetic phase transition. This antiferromagnetic order below TN is confirmed by magnetization measurement, which displays a metamagneticlike transition at Hm = 5 T. Both low-temperature susceptibility and high-field magnetization are suggestive of strong crystalline-electric-field effect in CeNiBi2. The electrical resistivity shows the presence of Kondo and crystal-field effects with a sharp drop below TN due to the antiferromagnetic ordering. This sharp drop below TN in the electrical resistivity is suppressed slightly to higher temperatures by an applied magnetic field to 18 T. With increasing magnetic field, the slope of magnetoresistance changes from positive to negative, being indicative of the transition to a field-induced ferromagnetic state