Low temperature physical properties of R$_{3}$Co$_{4}$Sn$_{13}$ (R = La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Gd)

We report the low temperature physical properties of the series of compounds R$_{3}$Co$_{4}$Sn$_{13}$ where R=La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Gd. They crystallize in a cubic Yb$_{3}$Rh$_{4}$Sn$_{13}$ type structure, space group Pm-3n, which has 40 atoms per unit cell. Measurements of magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and low temperature heat capacity were carried out on single crystals grown from Sn-flux. These compounds order antiferromagnetically at low temperature (T$_{N}$ $<$ 15 K) for R = Nd and Gd, while Pr$_{3}$Co$_{4}$Sn$_{13}$ and Ce$_{3}$Co$_{4}$Sn$_{13}$ are paramagnetic down to 2K. In addition Ce$_{3}$Co$_{4}$Sn$_{13}$ display heavy fermion behavior and La$_{3}$Co$_{4}$Sn$_{13}$ is a Pauli paramagnetic which superconducts at 2.3 K. The present data are compared to the magnetic properties of the isostrucutural R$_{3}$(Rh,Ir)$_{4}$Sn$_{13}$ compounds, and the validity of de Gennes scaling as a function of rare earth for these materials is discussed.