Cluster spin glass behavior in geometrically frustrated Zn3V3O8

TL;DR

This study investigates the magnetic properties of Zn3V3O8, revealing spin glass behavior with evidence of frustration, aging, and memory effects, and suggests a cluster glass ground state based on experimental data.

Contribution

First detailed magnetic characterization of Zn3V3O8 showing spin glass and cluster glass behavior with experimental evidence.

Findings

Strong magnetic frustration indicated by a high frustration parameter.

Spin glass behavior confirmed by ac susceptibility and aging phenomena.

Heat capacity data supports spin glass state below 3.75 K.

Abstract

We report the bulk magnetic properties of a yet unexplored vanadium-based multivalued spinel system, Zn3V3O8. A Curie-Weiss fit of our dc magnetic susceptibility data in the temperature region from 140 to 300 K yields a Curie constant C = 0.75cm3K/mole V, theta CW = -370 K. We have observed a splitting between the zero field cooled ZFC and field cooled FC susceptibility curves below a temperature Tirr of about 6.3 K. The value of the 'frustration parameter' nearly equals to 100 suggests that the system is strongly frustrated. From the ac susceptibility measurements we find a logarithmic variation of freezing temperature (Tf ) with frequency attesting to the formation of a spin glass below Tf . However, the value of the characteristic frequency obtained from the Vogel-Fulcher fit suggests that the ground state is closer to a cluster glass rather than a conventional spin glass. We explored further consequences of the spin glass behavior and observed aging phenomena and memory effect (both in ZFC and FC). We found that a positive temperature cycle erases the memory, as predicted by the hierarchical model. From the heat capacity CP data, a hump-like anomaly was observed in CP /T at about 3.75 K. Below this temperature the magnetic heat capacity shows a nearly linear dependence with T which is consistent with the formation of a spin glass state below Tf in Zn3V3O8.