Influence of cobalt substitution on the magnetism of ${\mathrm{NiBr}}_{2}$

Influence of cobalt substitution on the magnetism of ${NiBr}_{2}$

Binod K. Rai, Andrew D. Christianson, David Mandrus, and Andrew F. May

Phys. Rev. Materials 3, 034005 – Published 25 March 2019

Abstract

Co-substituted ${Ni}_{1 - x} {Co}_{x} {Br}_{2}$ ( $0 \leq x \leq 1$ ) single crystals were synthesized using vapor transport. The physical properties of the crystals were characterized by x-ray powder diffraction, magnetization, and specific-heat measurements. Room-temperature x-ray powder diffraction data indicate that a change from the ${CdCl}_{2}$ structure type to the ${CdI}_{2}$ structure type occurs within $0.56 < x < 0.76$ . ${NiBr}_{2}$ has a commensurate antiferromagnetic phase below $T_{N} \approx 46 K$ and an incommensurate magnetic ground state below $T_{IC} \approx 20 K$ . Both magnetic transitions are affected by cobalt substitution, and the incommensurate phase transition is present up to at least $x = 0.56$ . The evolution of magnetism has been studied as a function of cobalt content and is summarized in the temperature-composition phase diagram.

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Received 4 December 2018
Revised 5 February 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.3.034005

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Antiferromagnetism Magnetic susceptibility Magnetism Specific heat Structural phase transition

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Binod K. Rai^1,*, Andrew D. Christianson¹, David Mandrus^1,2,3, and Andrew F. May¹

¹Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
²Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
³Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA