Growth and Characterization of Iron Scandium Sulfide (FeSc2S4)

TL;DR

This paper reports the successful growth and detailed characterization of large single crystals of FeSc2S4 using a novel traveling solvent method, enabling advanced studies of its spin-orbital liquid properties.

Contribution

Introduction of a new traveling solvent growth technique for FeSc2S4 single crystals with verified structural and magnetic properties.

Findings

Single crystals are cubic with no antisite disorder.

Heat capacity and magnetization match polycrystalline data.

Method enables studies requiring large single crystals.

Abstract

Here we report successful growth of mm scale single crystals of stoichiometric FeSc2S4. Single crystal X-ray diffraction yields a cubic structure, spacegroup Fd-3m, with a=10.5097(2) angstroms at T=110(2) K consistent with previous literature on polycrystallin samples. Models fit to the data reveal no detectable antisite mixing or deviations from the ideal stoichiometry. Heat capacity and dc magnetization measurements on the single crystals match those of high quality powder specimens. The novel traveling solvent growth method presented in this work opens the door to studies requiring sizable single crystals of the candidate spin-orbital liquid FeSc2S4.