Solution-grown single crystals of Fe2OBO3 were characterized by specific
heat, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. A peak in the specific
heat at 340 K indicates the onset of charge order. Evidence for a doubling of
the unit cell at low temperature is presented. Combining structural refinement
of diffraction data and Mossbauer spectra, domains with diagonal charge order
are established. Bond-valence-sum analysis indicates integer valence states of
the Fe ions in the charge ordered phase, suggesting Fe2OBO3 is the clearest
example of ionic charge order so far.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Fig. 3 is available in higher resolution from the
authors. PRL in prin