  We have studied the thermodynamic properties of single-crystalline
TbFe3(BO3)4. Magnetization measurements have been carried out as a function of
magnetic field (up to 50 T) and temperature up to 350K with the magnetic field
both parallel and perpendicular to the trigonal c-axis of the crystal. The
specific heat has been measured in the temperature range 2-300K with a magnetic
field up to 9 T applied parallel to the c-axis. The data indicate a structural
phase transition at 192 K and antiferromagnetic spin ordering at 40 K. A
Schottky anomaly is present in the specific heat data around 20 K, arising due
to two low-lying energy levels of the Tb3+ ions being split by f-d coupling.
Below TN magnetic fields parallel to the c-axis drive a spin-flop phase
transition, which is associated with a large magnetization jump. The highly
anisotropic character of the magnetic susceptibility is ascribed mainly to the
Ising-like behavior of the Tb3+ ions in the trigonal crystal field. We describe
our results in the framework of an unified approach which is based on
mean-field approximation and crystal-field calculations.
