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Title: Magnetic ground states and magnetodielectric effect in RCr ( BO 3 ) 2 ( R = Y and Ho)

Abstract

Here, the layered perovskites RCr(BO3)2 (R = Y and Ho) with magnetic triangular lattices were studied by performing ac/dc susceptibility, specific heat, elastic and inelastic neutron scattering, and dielectric constant measurements. The results show (i) both samples' Cr3+ spins order in a canted antiferromagnetic structure with TN around 8–9 K, while the Ho3+ ions do not order down to T=1.5 K in HoCr(BO3)2; (ii) when a critical magnetic field HC around 2-3 T is applied below TN, the Cr3+ spins in the Y compound and both the Cr3+ and Ho3+ spins in the Ho compound order in a ferromagnetic state; (iii) both samples exhibit dielectric constant anomalies around the transition temperature and critical field, but the Ho compound displays a much stronger magnetodielectric response. We speculate that this is due to the magnetostriction, which depends on both the Cr3+ and the Ho3+ ions' ordering in the Ho compound. Moreover, by using linear spin-wave theory to simulate the inelastic neutron scattering data, we estimated the Y compound's intralayer and interlayer exchange strengths as ferromagnetic J1 = –0.12 meV and antiferromagnetic J2 = 0.014 meV, respectively. The competition between different kinds of superexchange interactions results in the ferromagnetic intralayer interaction.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [5]; ORCiD logo [5]
  1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  2. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States)
  3. Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States)
  4. Anhui Univ., Anhui (People's Republic of China)
  5. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1486972
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1355953
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review B
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 95; Journal Issue: 17; Journal ID: ISSN 2469-9950
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY

Citation Formats

Sinclair, R., Zhou, H. D., Lee, Minseong, Choi, E. Sang, Li, G., Hong, Tao, and Calder, Stuart A. Magnetic ground states and magnetodielectric effect in RCr(BO3)2 (R=Y and Ho). United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.95.174410.
Sinclair, R., Zhou, H. D., Lee, Minseong, Choi, E. Sang, Li, G., Hong, Tao, & Calder, Stuart A. Magnetic ground states and magnetodielectric effect in RCr(BO3)2 (R=Y and Ho). United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.95.174410
Sinclair, R., Zhou, H. D., Lee, Minseong, Choi, E. Sang, Li, G., Hong, Tao, and Calder, Stuart A. Mon . "Magnetic ground states and magnetodielectric effect in RCr(BO3)2 (R=Y and Ho)". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.95.174410. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1486972.
@article{osti_1486972,
title = {Magnetic ground states and magnetodielectric effect in RCr(BO3)2 (R=Y and Ho)},
author = {Sinclair, R. and Zhou, H. D. and Lee, Minseong and Choi, E. Sang and Li, G. and Hong, Tao and Calder, Stuart A.},
abstractNote = {Here, the layered perovskites RCr(BO3)2 (R = Y and Ho) with magnetic triangular lattices were studied by performing ac/dc susceptibility, specific heat, elastic and inelastic neutron scattering, and dielectric constant measurements. The results show (i) both samples' Cr3+ spins order in a canted antiferromagnetic structure with TN around 8–9 K, while the Ho3+ ions do not order down to T=1.5 K in HoCr(BO3)2; (ii) when a critical magnetic field HC around 2-3 T is applied below TN, the Cr3+ spins in the Y compound and both the Cr3+ and Ho3+ spins in the Ho compound order in a ferromagnetic state; (iii) both samples exhibit dielectric constant anomalies around the transition temperature and critical field, but the Ho compound displays a much stronger magnetodielectric response. We speculate that this is due to the magnetostriction, which depends on both the Cr3+ and the Ho3+ ions' ordering in the Ho compound. Moreover, by using linear spin-wave theory to simulate the inelastic neutron scattering data, we estimated the Y compound's intralayer and interlayer exchange strengths as ferromagnetic J1 = –0.12 meV and antiferromagnetic J2 = 0.014 meV, respectively. The competition between different kinds of superexchange interactions results in the ferromagnetic intralayer interaction.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevB.95.174410},
journal = {Physical Review B},
number = 17,
volume = 95,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Mon May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

Journal Article:

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Cited by: 7 works
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Figures / Tables:

FIG. 1 FIG. 1: (a) The dolomite-type crystal structure of RCr(BO3)2. The orange/blue R/Cr octahedra form a triangular lattice in the ab plane as shown in (b). Only the Cr ions are plotted here. The intralayer and interlayer exchange interactions are labeled as J1 and J2, respectively.

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