Synthesis and Characterization of Tungsten Suboxide WnO3n−1 Nanotiles

WnO3n−1 nanotiles, with multiple stoichiometries within one nanotile, were synthesized via the chemical vapour transport method. They grow along the [010] crystallographic axis, with the thickness ranging from a few tens to a few hundreds of nm, with the lateral size up to several µm. Distinct surface corrugations, up to a few 10 nm deep appear during growth. The {102}r crystallographic shear planes indicate the WnO3n−1 stoichiometries. Within a single nanotile, six stoichiometries were detected, namely W16O47 (WO2.938), W15O44 (WO2.933), W14O41 (WO2.928), W13O38 (WO2.923), W12O35 (WO2.917), and W11O32 (WO2.909), with the last three never being reported before. The existence of oxygen vacancies within the crystallographic shear planes resulted in the observed non-zero density of states at the Fermi energy.

Study of the Structure, Magnetic, Thermal and Electrical Characterisation of ZnCr2Se4: Ta Single Crystals Obtained by Chemical Vapour Transport

The new series of single-crystalline chromium selenides, Ta-doped ZnCr2Se4, was synthesised by a chemical vapour transport method to determine the impact of a dopant on the structural and thermodynamic properties of the parent compound. We present comprehensive investigations of structural, electrical transport, magnetic, and specific heat properties. It was expected that a partial replacement of Cr ions by a more significant Ta one would lead to a change in direct magnetic interactions between Cr magnetic moments and result in a change in the magnetic ground state and electric transport properties of the ZnCr2−xTaxSe4 (x = 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, 0.1, 0.12) system. We found that all the elements of the cubic system had a cubic spinel structure; however, the doping gain linearly increased the ZnCr2−xTaxSe4 unit cell volume. Doping with tantalum did not significantly change the semiconductor and magnetic properties of ZnCr2Se4. For all studied samples (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.12), an antiferromagnetic order (AFM) below TN~22 K was observed. However, a small amount of Ta significantly reduced the second critical field (Hc2) from 65 kOe for x = 0.0 (ZnCr2Se4 matrix) up to 42.2 kOe for x = 0.12, above which the spin helical system changed to ferromagnetic (FM). The Hc2 reduction can lead to strong competition among AFM and FM interactions and spin frustration, as the specific heat under magnetic fields H < Hc2 shows a strong field decrease in TN.

Elucidating the physical properties of the molybdenum oxide Mo4O11 and its tantalum substituted variant Mo2Ta2O11

Although γ/η-Mo4O11 and Mo2Ta2O11 are used in a variety of industrial applications and can easily be synthesized in a chemical vapour transport (CVT) process or reactions in silica ampoules, respectively, only few data are available concerning their physical properties. In this paper, we further explore the properties of the three compounds with respect to their thermal and magnetic behavior, surface composition, and Raman spectroscopic properties.

Magnetic studies of monoclinic Cu4O(SeO3)3, a copper-oxo-selenite derivative

Cu4O(SeO3)3 is a copper-oxo-selenite belonging to the CuxO(SeO3)(x–1) family of the topological chiral magnet Cu2OSeO3. We report magnetometry and specific heat data measured in a monoclinic Cu4O(SeO3)3 single crystal grown through a Chemical Vapour Transport (CVT) reaction. Our study shows a typical antiferromagnetic behaviour, with a Néel temperature TN = 58 K, similar to that of the Cu2OSeO3 and an additional transition at 13 K. The effective magnetic moment per Cu atom is 1.84 μB, close to the expected theoretical value for Cu2+. The low-temperature M(H) curves, show a transition starting at Hc1 ~ 400 Oe at 1.8 K shifting to a lower value of ~ 280 Oe at 30 K, likely from a helical into a conical intermediate phase, and a second transition at Hc2 ~ 1 kOe, above which the net moment increases linearly with applied field. The magnetisation moment value in a 90 kOe field is 0.053 μB/Cu at 1.8 K and attains a maximum value of 0.061 μB at 13 K. Low-temperature specific heat measurements confirm the presence of the magnetic transition at 13 K, slightly shifting to lower temperatures under an applied magnetic field.

Synthesis and structural variety of first Mn and Bi selenites and selenite chlorides

Single crystals of new Mn2[Bi2O](SeO3)4(I), MnBi(SeO3)2Cl (II), MnIIMnIII(SeO3)2Cl (III), Mn5(SeO3)2Cl6(IV), and Mn4(Mn5,Bi)(SeO3)8Cl5(V) have been synthesized by chemical vapour transport and hydrothermal methods. They have been structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The compoundsII–Vare the first Mn selenite chlorides, while theI,IIandVcompounds are the first Bi-containing Mn oxoselenites. Structural relationships of the new phases with other compounds are discussed. An overview of the mixed-ligand MnOmClnpolyhedra in inorganic compounds is given.