Single-Crystal and Powder Neutron Diffraction Study of FeXMn1-XS Solid Solutions

TL;DR

This study investigates how chemical substitution in FeXMn1-XS solid solutions affects their magnetic, structural, and electrical properties using neutron diffraction, revealing a correlation between composition, lattice parameters, and phase transitions.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the structural and magnetic phase behavior of FeXMn1-XS solid solutions with varying composition.

Findings

Neel temperature increases from 150 K to 200 K with x

Structural transition involves change in crystal symmetry

Resistance decreases before magnetic transition at x=0.25

Abstract

FeXMn1-XS (0 <x< 0.3) synthesized on the basis of {\alpha}-MnS are the novel Mott-type substances with the rock salt structure. Neutron diffraction study shows that the shift of the Neel temperature of these materials from 150 (x = 0) to 200 K (x = 0.29) under the action of chemical pressure (x) is accompanied by a decrease in the cubic NaCl lattice parameters. The structural transition with a change in crystal symmetry and a decrease in resistance before the magnetic transition at x = 0.25 is found. Therefore, FeXMn1-XS are interesting materials for both fundamental study of the interrelation between the magnetic, electrical, and structural properties in systems with the strong electron correlations of a MnO-type and application.