Anisotropic magneto-transport properties of semimetallic LaNiSb3

Abstract

Single crystals of LaNiSb3 were synthesized using the Sn-flux method. Structural characterization confirms that LaNiSb3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Pbcm space group with lattice parameters a = 13.0970(2) Å, b = 6.1400(4) Å, and c = 12.1270(4) Å. Electrical resistivity measurements demonstrate metallic behavior over the entire temperature range of 3–300 K. The magnetoresistance (MR) exhibits a positive anisotropic response, attaining a maximum of 8% for H∥b, with a pronounced crossover from quadratic to nearly linear field dependence. Angular-dependent MR measurements reveal a pronounced twofold symmetry upon magnetic-field rotation within both the ab and ac crystallographic planes up to 50 K, indicating anisotropic charge transport. Hall resistivity measurements show predominantly electron-type conduction at high temperatures, with an increasing hole contribution upon cooling. The multiband character is further corroborated by the violation of Kohler’s scaling and is well described within a semiclassical two-band framework. Collectively, these results suggest LaNiSb3 has anisotropic multiband electronic transport and could be a compelling candidate to explore structure–property correlation as a topological semimetal.