Valence-driven structural transformation and phase coexistence in chemically substituted EuPd 2 Si 2

EuPd2Si2 serves as an ideal system to probe the interplay between lattice dynamics and electronic instabilities through its tunable valence transition, responsive to temperature, pressure, and magnetic field. Here, we focus on investigating the origin of the temperature-induced europium valence instability in pristine EuPd2Si2, alloyed EuPd2Si1.95Ge0.05, and EuPd2Si1.9Ge0.1 and its correlation with structural responses. Compared with the parent compound EuPd2Si2 which exhibits the europium valence transition at Tv = 143 K, magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal a systematic shift in Tv with Ge substitution, decreasing to 87 K for EuPd2Si1.95Ge0.05. Temperature-dependent synchrotron X-ray diffraction confirms phase coexistence between Eu2+Pd2Si2-xGex and Eu3+Pd2Si2-xGex phases across the valence transition for all samples measured (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10). The pronounced increase in the full width at half maximum (FWHM) well above Tv reflects the gradual nature of the transformation and highlights the role of structural strain in stabilizing the coexisting phases, supporting the presence of a phase-segregated ground state, in contrast to a homogeneous intermediate-valence or mixed-valence state. The variation in Tv across different compositions correlates with changes in lattice parameters, highlighting the robust coupling between the structural and electronic degrees of freedom. The phase diagram suggests an inverse linear relationship between the lattice parameter and Tv, suggesting a possible predictive framework for estimating transition temperatures in other chemically substituted variants of this family.