Cs$_4$Cr$_7$Te$_{10}$: Interwoven Reconstructed Archimedean and Kagome Lattices with a Possible Phase Transition near 130 K

TL;DR

This study reports a new Cr-based compound with complex interwoven lattice geometries, exhibiting a possible electronic or magnetic phase transition near 130 K, and highlights its potential for exploring emergent phenomena in complex materials.

Contribution

The discovery of Cs$_4$Cr$_7$Te$_{10}$ with reconstructed Archimedean and kagome lattices introduces a novel platform for investigating correlated electronic and magnetic states.

Findings

Semiconducting behavior confirmed by transport measurements.

An anomaly near 130 K observed in magnetization and specific heat.

Small entropy change suggests a non-structural phase transition.

Abstract

Chromium-based materials with complex lattice geometries provide an important platform for investigating correlated electronic and magnetic states. However, Cr-based compounds with unusual crystal geometries are still rarely reported. Here, we report a new Cr-based compound, Cs$_4$Cr$_7$Te$_{10}$, featuring interwoven Cr and Te sublattices that can be viewed as reconstructed networks derived from Archimedean (3.4.6.4) tiling and the kagome lattice, respectively. Transport measurements reveal the semiconducting nature in Cs$_4$Cr$_7$Te$_{10}$. Magnetization measurements show a weak anisotropy between H//b and H//ac planes, and uncover an anomaly near 130 K that is insensitive to the applied magnetic fields. Specific-heat measurements further confirm this transition, indicating its bulk thermodynamic nature. The associated entropy change is as small as 0.41 J mol^-1 K^-1, ruling out a structural phase transition and pointing to a possible electronic and/or magnetic phase transition. These results provide a new route for designing complex crystal geometries and exploring their associated emergent phenomena.