Er5Ni3Al3Ge4: a quaternary variant of the NbCoB type.

Single crystals of pentaerbium trinickel trialuminium tetragermanium were synthesized from the elements by arc-melting. The novel compound crystallizes in the space group Pmmn, e6b2a, with all nine crystallographically unique atoms in special positions of site symmetries m.. and mm2. This compound represents a new ordered variant of the NbCoB type. Its two-layer structure is described as an intergrowth of the Er3NiAl3Ge2 (Y3NiAl3Ge2 type) and ErNiGe (TiNiSi type) structures. The coordination polyhedra are distorted pentagonal prisms around Er atoms, tetragonal prisms around Al and Ni atoms, and trigonal prisms around Ge and Ni atoms, capped with eight, four and three extra vertices, respectively.