Synthesis and Characterization of Three New Layered Vanadium Tellurites, MVTe2O8 (M = Al, Ga, and Mn): Three-Dimensional (3-D) Antiferromagnetic Behavior of MnVTe2O8 with a Zigzag S=2 Spin Chain

Abstract

Three new metal vanadium tellurites, MVTe2O8 (M = Al, Ga, and Mn) have been synthesized through standard solid-state and hydrothermal reactions. Crystal structure analyses using X-ray diffraction reveal that the isostructural materials exhibit layered structures consisting of MO6, TeO4, and VO4 polyhedra. The corner-sharing of MO6 octahedra results in one-dimensional (1-D) zigzag chains that are further interconnected by tetrameric Te4O12 units and the VO4 tetrahedra to complete a layered structure. Detailed structural analysis suggests that the unit-cell volumes and the very long Te(2)-O(2) bond distances in MVTe2O8 are closely related to the ionic radii of M3+ cations. Additional characterizations such as ultraviolet-visible light (UV-vis) and infrared spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analyses, and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements were performed. The temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements on MnVTe2O8 suggest that the material behaves like a three-dimensional (3-D) antiferromagnet with T-N = 30 K, although the structure consists of a zigzag S = 2 spin chain.