Issue 3, 2017

Rearrangement of van der Waals stacking and formation of a singlet state at T = 90 K in a cluster magnet

Abstract

Insulating Nb3Cl8 is a layered chloride consisting of two-dimensional triangular layers of Seff = 1/2 Nb3Cl13 clusters at room temperature. Magnetic susceptibility measurement show a sharp, hysteretic drop to a temperature independent value below T = 90 K. Specific heat measurements show that the transition is first order, with ΔS ≈ 5 J K−1 mol−1 f.u.−1, and a low temperature T-linear contribution originating from defect spins. Neutron and X-ray diffraction show a lowering of symmetry from trigonal P[3 with combining macron]m1 to monoclinic C2/m symmetry, with a change in layer stacking from –AB–AB– to –AB′–BC′–CA′– and no observed magnetic order. This lowering of symmetry and rearrangement of successive layers evades geometric magnetic frustration to form a singlet ground state. It is the lowest temperature at which a change in stacking sequence is known to occur in a van der Waals solid, occurs in the absence of orbital degeneracies, and suggests that designer 2-D heterostructures may be able to undergo similar phase transitions.

Graphical abstract: Rearrangement of van der Waals stacking and formation of a singlet state at T = 90 K in a cluster magnet

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
31 ⴽⵜⵓ 2016
Accepted
09 ⵉⵏⵏ 2017
First published
11 ⵉⵏⵏ 2017

Inorg. Chem. Front., 2017,4, 481-490

Rearrangement of van der Waals stacking and formation of a singlet state at T = 90 K in a cluster magnet

J. P. Sheckelton, K. W. Plumb, B. A. Trump, C. L. Broholm and T. M. McQueen, Inorg. Chem. Front., 2017, 4, 481 DOI: 10.1039/C6QI00470A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements