Frustrated antiferromagnetic honeycomb-tunnel-like lattice CuRE2Ge2O8 (RE=Pr, Nd, Sm, and Eu)

TL;DR

This study investigates new frustrated antiferromagnetic compounds CuRE2Ge2O8 with RE=Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, revealing diverse magnetic lattices and behaviors, including a 2D triangular lattice in Eu and 3D honeycomb-tunnel structures in others.

Contribution

The paper reports the synthesis and characterization of novel CuRE2Ge2O8 compounds, highlighting their distinct magnetic lattice structures and frustration effects based on different rare-earth elements.

Findings

Eu compound exhibits a 2D triangular antiferromagnetic lattice.

Pr, Nd, Sm compounds show 3D honeycomb-tunnel-like lattices.

Different magnetic behaviors depend on the rare-earth element.

Abstract

New frustrated antiferromagnetic compounds CuRE2Ge2O8 (RE=Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu) have been investigated using high-resolution x-ray diffraction, magnetic and heat capacity measurements. These systems show different magnetic lattices depending on rare-earth element. The nonmagnetic Eu compound is a S=1/2 two-dimensional triangular antiferromagnetic lattice oriented in the ac plane with geometrical frustration. On the other hand, the Pr, Nd, and Sm compounds show a three-dimensional honeycomb-tunnel-like lattice made of RE^3+ running along the a axis with the characteristic behavior of frustrated antiferromagnets.