High-pressure synthesis of quantum magnet M-YbTaO4 with a stretched diamond lattice

Abstract

We report bulk magnetic properties of ytterbium tantalate in its monoclinic fergusonite modification, M-YbTaO4. The spin-1/2 Yb3+ ions in this phase are arranged on a geometrically frustrated "stretched diamond" lattice. M-YbTaO4 cannot be prepared at ambient pressure and was instead prepared in a belt-type apparatus at 6 GPa and 1800 C. Susceptibility and specific heat data show no long-range ordering down to 1.8 K and are consistent with a Jeff = 1/2 Kramers doublet which splits in an applied field. Furthermore, under high-pressure synthesis the entire solid solution YbNbxTa1-xO4 (0 < x < 1) can be stabilised in the M phase, in contrast to ambient-pressure synthesis which favours the competing M' phase for Ta-rich compositions. Subsequent annealing of the Nb-Ta mixed samples resulted in colour changes, suggesting oxygen deficiency in some of the as-prepared high pressure samples. There was little variation in the bulk magnetic properties upon varying either the Nb/Ta ratio or the annealing conditions.

References in corpus (13)

• Tutorial: A Beginner's Guide to Interpreting Magnetic Susceptibility Data with the Curie-Weiss Law
• Frustrated magnet for adiabatic demagnetization cooling to milli-Kelvin temperatures
• Impact of Stoichiometry of Yb2Ti2O7 on its Physical Properties
• Spin order and dynamics in the diamond-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnets CuRh2O4 and CoRh2O4
• Efficient adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration to below 50 mK with UHV compatible Ytterbium diphosphates $A$YbP${}_2$O${}_7$ ($A=$Na, K)
• Adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration to mK temperatures with the distorted square lattice magnet NaYbGeO${}_4$
• Magnetic properties of monoclinic lanthanide metaborates, $Ln$(BO${}_2$)${}_3$, $Ln$ = Pr, Nd, Gd, Tb
• Spin excitations in the quantum dipolar magnet Yb(BaBO${}_3$)${}_3$
• Antiferromagnetism and crystalline-electric field excitations in tetragonal NaCeO2
• Magnetism on the stretched diamond lattice in lanthanide orthotantalates
• Dynamic Spin Fluctuations in the Frustrated A-site Spinel CuAl2O4
• Structural and magnetic characterization of CeTa${}_7$O${}_{19}$ and YbTa${}_7$O${}_{19}$ with two-dimensional pseudospin-1/2 triangular lattice
• Magnetoelastic coupling in the stretched diamond lattice of TbTaO${}_4$

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Bulk magnetic properties of distorted square lattice compounds M'-LnTaO4 (Ln = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er)