Single-crystal growth, structural characterization, and physical properties of a decorated square-kagome antiferromagnet KCu${}_7$TeO${}_4$(SO${}_4$)${}_5$Cl

Abstract

The square-kagome lattice, composed of two-dimensional corner-sharing triangles, provides a novel platform for studying frustrated magnetism. However, material realizations of the square-kagome lattice remain scarce. Here, we report the single-crystal growth, structural characterization, magnetic and electric properties of KCu${}_7$TeO${}_4$(SO${}_4$)${}_5$Cl, a nabokoite compound featuring a distorted and decorated square-kagome lattice. Weak anomalies near 4 K are observed in both magnetization and specific heat, indicating the onset of a magnetic transition.The formation of a long-range antiferromagnetic state below 4.5 K is further confirmed by ${}^{35}$Cl nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. Magnetic susceptibility data reveal nearly isotropic Curie-Weiss temperatures ($\sim -145$ K) and $g$-factors ($\sim 2.4$) for both in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic fields. Moreover, we observe two successive ferroelectric transitions at $T_{FE1}\sim 30$ K and $T_{FE2}\sim 27$ K, driven by inversion-symmetry breaking, most likely associated with distortions in the Cu2O${}_4$Cl${}_1$ pyramids and the adjacent SO${}_4$ tetrahedra. These results suggest that a three-dimensional model incorporating interlayer couplings via decorating Cu2 sites is essential for capturing the magnetic and electric behaviors in KCu${}_7$TeO${}_4$(SO${}_4$)${}_5$Cl.

12 pages, 6 figures