Local nuclear and magnetic order in the two-dimensional spin glass Mn0.5Fe0.5PS3

J. N. Graham, M. J. Coak, S. Son, E. Suard, J.-G. Park, L. Clark, and A. R. Wildes
Phys. Rev. Materials 4, 084401 – Published 3 August 2020

Abstract

We present a comprehensive study of the short-ranged nuclear and magnetic order in the two-dimensional spin glass, Mn0.5Fe0.5PS3. Nuclear neutron scattering data reveal a random distribution of Mn2+ and Fe2+ ions within the honeycomb layers, which gives rise to a spin glass state through inducing competition between neighboring exchange interactions, indicated in magnetic susceptibility data by a cusp at the glass transition, Tg=35 K. Analysis of magnetic diffuse neutron scattering data collected for both single-crystal and polycrystalline samples gives further insight into the origin of the spin glass phase, with spin correlations revealing a mixture of satisfied and unsatisfied correlations between magnetic moments within the honeycomb planes, which can be explained by considering the magnetic structures of the parent compounds, MnPS3 and FePS3. We found that, on approaching Tg from above, an ensemble-averaged correlation length of ξ=5.5(6)Å developed between satisfied correlations, and below Tg, the glassy behavior gave rise to a distance-independent correlation between unsatisfied moments. Correlations between the planes were found to be very weak, which mirrored our observations of rodlike structures parallel to the c* axis in our single-crystal diffraction measurements, confirming the two-dimensional nature of Mn0.5Fe0.5PS3.

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  • Received 19 June 2020
  • Accepted 13 July 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.4.084401

©2020 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Research Areas
  1. Physical Systems
Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

J. N. Graham1,2,3,*, M. J. Coak4, S. Son5,6,7, E. Suard2, J.-G. Park5,6,7, L. Clark1,3, and A. R. Wildes2

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Materials Innovation Factory, University of Liverpool, 51 Oxford Street, Liverpool L7 3NY, United Kingdom
  • 2Institut Laue-Langevin, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS20156, 38042 Grenoble Cédex 9, France
  • 3School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
  • 4Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, West Midlands CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
  • 5Center for Correlated Electron Systems, Institute for Basic Science, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
  • 6Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
  • 7Center for Quantum Materials, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea

  • *Corresponding author: JNG909@student.bham.ac.uk

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Issue

Vol. 4, Iss. 8 — August 2020

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