Magnetic properties of the kagome staircase mixed system (CoxNi1-x)3V2O8

The orthooxovanadates of the 3d transition metals M3V2O8, known as kagome staircase systems, reveal interesting magnetic properties due to their crystal structure. Although these compounds are isostructural for M=Co, Ni, Mn, Cu, they differ considerably with respect to their magnetic phase transitions and magnetic structures. As the magnetic ions are situated on corners of cornersharing triangles, geometric frustration plays an important role in this system. This is not only connected to the fact, that the antiferromagnetic structures exhibit reduced magnetic moments, but apparently also to the ferromagnetic structure of Co3V2O8, which exhibits a strongly reduced Co moment of 1.54 Bohr magnetons. Within this work precisely this ferromagnetic structure has been investigated in detail and it could be shown that the relatively weak magnetic moment does not result from frustration, but is a consequence of the strong hybridization effects between the cobalt and oxygen orbitals. The pronounced covalent character of this Co ion leads to the fact that due to the charge transfer the oxygen ions signicantly contribute to the bulk magnetization when applying an external magnetic field. The second part of the presented work deals with the systematic investigation of the mixed system (CoxNi1-x)3V2O8. A detailed magnetic phase diagram could be drawn, in which the temperature and composition dependent magnetic phase transitions have been pinpointed. Furthermore, an interesting magnetic structure of a chosen composition of x=0.5 has been observed, which differs considerably from those of the end members

Conical magnetic structures in multiferroic SrScxFe12-x O19 hexaferrites derived from powder neutron diffraction

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Magnetoelectric effect and phase transitions in CuO in external magnetic fields

Apart from being so far the only known binary multiferroic compound, CuO has a much higher transition temperature into the multiferroic state, 230 K, than any other known material in which the electric polarization is induced by spontaneous magnetic order, typically lower than 100 K. Although the magnetically induced ferroelectricity of CuO is firmly established, no magnetoelectric effect has been observed so far as direct crosstalk between bulk magnetization and electric polarization counterparts. Here we demonstrate that high magnetic fields of about 50 T are able to suppress the helical modulation of the spins in the multiferroic phase and dramatically affect the electric polarization. Furthermore, just below the spontaneous transition from commensurate (paraelectric) to incommensurate (ferroelectric) structures at 213 K, even modest magnetic fields induce a transition into the incommensurate structure and then suppress it at higher field. Thus, remarkable hidden magnetoelectric features are uncovered, establishing CuO as prototype multiferroic with abundance of competitive magnetic interactions.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figure

C60 solvate with (1,1,2)-trichloroethane: dynamic statistical disorder and mixed conformation

We present a full characterization of the orientationally disordered cocrystal of C-60 with (1,1,2)-triChloroethane (C2H3Cl3), by means of X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and broadband dielectric spectroscopy. Our results include the determination of molecular con formations, lattice structure, positional disorder, and, molecular reorientational dynamics down to the microsecond time scale. We find that, while in the disordered solid phase of pure C2H3Cl3 the molecules exist only in the gauche conformation, both gauche and transoid conformers are present in the solvate, where they occupy the largest interstitial cavities between the fullerene species. The two C2H3Cl3 conformers exhibit separate, independent relaxations, exhibiting simply activated behavior in the measured temperature range. The relaxation, of the transoid conformer, which has twice the dipole moment of the gmiehe isomer, is significantly slower than that of the latter, due to the high polarizability of C-60 resulting in an electrostatic drag against the reorientations of the dipolar C2H3O3 species. The observation of two distinct, simply activated relaxations freezing at distinct temperatures indicates:that they are not truly many-body relaxations, which may be rationalized considering:that the C2H3Cl3 molecules are separated by the relatively bulky C-60 spacers.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

On the sign of the linear magnetoelectric coefficient in Cr2_2O3_3

We establish the sign of the linear magnetoelectric (ME) coefficient, $\alpha$, in chromia, Cr$_2$O$_3$. Cr$_2$O$_3$ is the prototypical linear ME material, in which an electric (magnetic) field induces a linearly proportional magnetization (polarization), and a single magnetic domain can be selected by annealing in combined magnetic (H) and electric (E) fields. Opposite antiferromagnetic domains have opposite ME responses, and which antiferromagnetic domain corresponds to which sign of response has previously been unclear. We use density functional theory (DFT) to calculate the magnetic response of a single antiferromagnetic domain of Cr$_2$O$_3$ to an applied in-plane electric field at 0 K. We find that the domain with nearest neighbor magnetic moments oriented away from (towards) each other has a negative (positive) in-plane ME coefficient, $\alpha_{\perp}$, at 0 K. We show that this sign is consistent with all other DFT calculations in the literature that specified the domain orientation, independent of the choice of DFT code or functional, the method used to apply the field, and whether the direct (magnetic field) or inverse (electric field) ME response was calculated. Next, we reanalyze our previously published spherical neutron polarimetry data to determine the antiferromagnetic domain produced by annealing in combined E and H fields oriented along the crystallographic symmetry axis at room temperature. We find that the antiferromagnetic domain with nearest-neighbor magnetic moments oriented away from (towards) each other is produced by annealing in (anti-)parallel E and H fields, corresponding to a positive (negative) axial ME coefficient, $\alpha_{\parallel}$, at room temperature. Since $\alpha_{\perp}$ at 0 K and $\alpha_{\parallel}$ at room temperature are known to be of opposite sign, our computational and experimental results are consistent.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Magnetoelectric effect and phase transitions in CuO in external magnetic fields

Apart from being so far the only known binary multiferroic compound, CuO has a much higher transition temperature into the multiferroic state, 230 K, than any other known material in which the electric polarization is induced by spontaneous magnetic order, typically lower than 100 K. Although the magnetically induced ferroelectricity of CuO is firmly established, no magnetoelectric effect has been observed so far as direct crosstalk between bulk magnetization and electric polarization counterparts. Here we demonstrate that high magnetic fields of E50 T are able to suppress the helical modulation of the spins in the multiferroic phase and dramatically affect the electric polarization. Furthermore, just below the spontaneous transition from commensurate (paraelectric) to incommensurate (ferroelectric) structures at 213 K, even modest magnetic fields induce a transition into the incommensurate structure and then suppress it at higher field. Thus, remarkable hidden magnetoelectric features are uncovered, establishing CuO as prototype multiferroic with abundance of competitive magnetic interactions

Magnetic properties of the kagome staircase mixed system (Co x Ni 1-x ) 3 V 2 O 8

The orthooxovanadates of the 3d transition metals M3V2O8, known as kagome staircase systems, reveal interesting magnetic properties due to their crystal structure. Although these compounds are isostructural for M=Co, Ni, Mn, Cu, they differ considerably with respect to their magnetic phase transitions and magnetic structures. As the magnetic ions are situated on corners of cornersharing triangles, geometric frustration plays an important role in this system. This is not only connected to the fact, that the antiferromagnetic structures exhibit reduced magnetic moments, but apparently also to the ferromagnetic structure of Co3V2O8, which exhibits a strongly reduced Co moment of 1.54 Bohr magnetons. Within this work precisely this ferromagnetic structure has been investigated in detail and it could be shown that the relatively weak magnetic moment does not result from frustration, but is a consequence of the strong hybridization effects between the cobalt and oxygen orbitals. The pronounced covalent character of this Co ion leads to the fact that due to the charge transfer the oxygen ions signicantly contribute to the bulk magnetization when applying an external magnetic field. The second part of the presented work deals with the systematic investigation of the mixed system (CoxNi1-x)3V2O8. A detailed magnetic phase diagram could be drawn, in which the temperature and composition dependent magnetic phase transitions have been pinpointed. Furthermore, an interesting magnetic structure of a chosen composition of x=0.5 has been observed, which differs considerably from those of the end members

Instrumental aspects

Every neutron scattering experiment requires the choice of a suited neutron diffractometer (or spectrometer in the case of inelastic scattering) with its optimal configuration in order to accomplish the experimental tasks in the most successful way. Most generally, the compromise between the incident neutron flux and the instrumental resolution has to be considered, which is depending on a number of optical devices which are positioned in the neutron beam path. In this chapter the basic instrumental principles of neutron diffraction will be explained. Examples of different types of experiments and their respective expectable results will be shown. Furthermore, the production and use of polarized neutrons will be stressed

Magnetic properties of the kagome staircase mixed system (CoxNi1-x)3V2O8

The orthooxovanadates of the 3d transition metals M3V2O8, known as kagome staircase systems, reveal interesting magnetic properties due to their crystal structure. Although these compounds are isostructural for M=Co, Ni, Mn, Cu, they differ considerably with respect to their magnetic phase transitions and magnetic structures. As the magnetic ions are situated on corners of cornersharing triangles, geometric frustration plays an important role in this system. This is not only connected to the fact, that the antiferromagnetic structures exhibit reduced magnetic moments, but apparently also to the ferromagnetic structure of Co3V2O8, which exhibits a strongly reduced Co moment of 1.54 Bohr magnetons. Within this work precisely this ferromagnetic structure has been investigated in detail and it could be shown that the relatively weak magnetic moment does not result from frustration, but is a consequence of the strong hybridization effects between the cobalt and oxygen orbitals. The pronounced covalent character of this Co ion leads to the fact that due to the charge transfer the oxygen ions signicantly contribute to the bulk magnetization when applying an external magnetic field. The second part of the presented work deals with the systematic investigation of the mixed system (CoxNi1-x)3V2O8. A detailed magnetic phase diagram could be drawn, in which the temperature and composition dependent magnetic phase transitions have been pinpointed. Furthermore, an interesting magnetic structure of a chosen composition of x=0.5 has been observed, which differs considerably from those of the end members