The sawtooth chain compound CsCo 2 (MoO 4 ) 2 (OH) is a complex magnetic system and here, we present a comprehensive series of magnetic and neutron scattering measurements to determine its magnetic phase diagram. The magnetic properties of CsCo 2 (MoO 4 ) 2 (OH) exhibit a strong coupling to the crystal lattice and its magnetic ground state can be easily manipulated by applied magnetic fields. There are two unique Co 2+ ions, base and vertex, with J bb and J bv magnetic exchange. The magnetism is highly anisotropic with the b -axis (chain) along the easy axis and the material orders antiferromagnetically at T N = 5 K. There are two successive metamagnetic transitions, the first at H c 1 = 0.2 kOe into a ferrimagnetic structure, and the other at H c 2 = 20 kOe to a ferromagnetic phase. Heat capacity measurements in various fields support the metamagnetic phase transformations, and the magnetic entropy value is intermediate between S = 3/2 and 1/2 states. The zero field antiferromagnetic phase contains vertex magnetic vectors (Co(1)) aligned parallel to the b -axis, while the base vectors (Co(2)) are canted by 34° and aligned in an opposite direction to the vertex vectors. The spins in parallel adjacent chains align in opposite directions, creating an overall antiferromagnetic structure. At a 3 kOe applied magnetic field, adjacent chains flip by 180° to generate a ferrimagnetic phase. An increase in field gradually induces the Co(1) moment to rotate along the b -axis and align in the same direction with Co(2) generating a ferromagnetic structure. The antiferromagnetic exchange parameters are calculated to be J bb = 0.028 meV and J bv = 0.13 meV, while the interchain exchange parameter is considerably weaker at J ch = (0.0047/ N ch ) meV. Our results demonstrate that the CsCo 2 (MoO 4 ) 2 (OH) is a promising candidate to study new physics associated with sawtooth chain magnetism and it encourages further theoretical studies as well as the synthesis of other sawtooth chain structures with different magnetic ions.
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2D rare-earth metal carbides (MXenes) Mo 2 NdC 2 T 2 electronic structure and magnetic properties: A DFT + U study
2D rare-earth metal carbides (MXenes) are attractive due to their novel electronic and magnetic properties and their potential as scalable 2D magnets. In this study, we used density functional theory with the Hubbard U correction to characterize the structure, termination, and magnetism in an out-of-plane ordered rare-earth containing M 3 C 2 T x MXene, Mo 2 NdC 2 T 2 (T = O or OH). We investigated the effect of the U parameter on the stability and magnetism of two possible termination sites: the hollow sites aligned with the inner Nd atoms (Nd-hollow sites) and those aligned with the closest C atoms (C-hollow sites). We found that increasing U Mo stabilized the Nd hollow sites, which minimized electrostatic repulsion between C and O atoms. Using U Mo = 3.0 eV and U Nd = 5.6 eV, obtained via the linear response method, we found that the energetically preferred termination site was C-hollow in Mo 2 NdC 2 O 2 and Nd-hollow in Mo 2 NdC 2 (OH) 2 . Regardless of termination and the Hubbard U value, we found Mo 2 NdC 2 O 2 and Mo 2 NdC 2 (OH) 2 to be magnetic. The C-hollow termination resulted in ferromagnetic states for all Hubbard U tested with no magnetic moment in Mo. In the case of Nd-hollow, Mo became magnetic for U Mo ≥ 4 eV. The difference of Mo magnetism in Nd-hollow and C-hollow was explained by crystal field splitting of the Mo d orbital caused by a distorted ligand.
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- PAR ID:
- 10436777
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Applied Physics
- Volume:
- 132
- Issue:
- 20
- ISSN:
- 0021-8979
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 204301
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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