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Effects of grain boundaries and defects on anisotropic magnon transport in textured Sr14Cu24O41

Xi Chen, Karalee Jarvis, Sean Sullivan, Yutao Li, Jianshi Zhou, and Li Shi
Phys. Rev. B 95, 144310 – Published 27 April 2017
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Abstract

The strong spin-spin exchange interaction in some low-dimensional magnetic materials can give rise to a high group velocity and thermal conductivity contribution from magnons. Examples are the incommensurate layered compounds (Sr,Ca,La)14Cu24O41. The effects of grain boundaries and defects on quasi-one-dimensional magnon transport in these compounds are not well understood. Here we report the microstructural and anisotropic thermal transport properties of textured Sr14Cu24O41, which is prepared by solid-state reaction followed by spark plasma sintering. Transmission electron microscopy clearly reveals nanolayered grains and the presence of dislocations and planar defects. The thermal conductivity contribution and mean free paths of magnons in the textured samples are evaluated with the use of a kinetic model for one-dimensional magnon transport and found to be suppressed significantly compared to single crystals at low temperatures. The experimental results can be explained by a one-dimensional magnon-defect scattering model, provided that the magnon-grain boundary scattering mean free path in the anisotropic magnetic structure is smaller than the average length of these nanolayers along the c axis. The finding suggests low transmission coefficients for energy-carrying magnons across grain boundaries.

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  • Received 11 November 2016
  • Revised 29 January 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.95.144310

©2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Xi Chen1, Karalee Jarvis1, Sean Sullivan1, Yutao Li1, Jianshi Zhou1,2, and Li Shi1,2,*

  • 1Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
  • 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA

  • *lishi@mail.utexas.edu

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Issue

Vol. 95, Iss. 14 — 1 April 2017

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