Construction of Ideal One-Dimensional Spin Chains by Topochemical Dehydration/Rehydration Route.

One-dimensional (1D) Heisenberg antiferromagnets are of great interest due to their intriguing quantum phenomena. However, the experimental realization of such systems with large spin S remains challenging because even weak interchain interactions induce long-range ordering. In this study, we present an ideal 1D S = 5/2 spin chain antiferromagnet achieved through a multistep topochemical route involving dehydration and rehydration. By desorbing three water molecules from (2,2'-bpy)FeF3(H2O)·2H2O (2,2'-bpy = 2,2'-bipyridyl) at 150 °C and then intercalating two water molecules at room temperature (giving (2,2'-bpy)FeF3·2H2O 1), the initially isolated FeF3ON2 octahedra combine to form corner-sharing FeF4N2 octahedral chains, which are effectively separated by organic and added water molecules. Mössbauer spectroscopy reveals significant dynamical fluctuations down to 2.7 K, despite the presence of strong intrachain interactions. Moreover, results from electron spin resonance (ESR) and heat capacity measurements indicate the absence of long-range order down to 0.5 K. This controlled topochemical dehydration/rehydration approach is further extended to (2,2'-bpy)CrF3·2H2O with S = 3/2 1D chains, thus opening the possibility of obtaining other low-dimensional spin lattices.

AgFeOF2: A Fluorine-Rich Perovskite Oxyfluoride.

We synthesized a silver iron oxyfluoride AgFeOF2 by using a high-pressure reaction. Synchrotron X-ray and neutron diffraction, X-ray absorption, and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy indicate that AgFeOF2 crystallizes in the ideal perovskite structure with iron in a trivalent state, although electron microscopy revealed weak super-reflections. A possible partial ordering in the FeO2F4 octahedron is inferred from Mössbauer spectroscopy. The synthesis of the fluorine-rich sample offers an opportunity to study a composition-property relation in AFeIIIO3- nF n ( n = 0, 1, and 2). AgFeOF2 exhibits a G-type antiferromagnetic ordering below TN ≈ 480 K, which is much lower than the n = 0 and 1 cases, suggesting a weaker superexchange interaction between Fe moments via F 2p orbitals (vs O 2p orbitals).

Covalency Competition in the Quadruple Perovskite CdCu3Fe4O12.

Cadmium ions (Cd2+) are similar to calcium ions (Ca2+) in size, whereas the Cd2+ ions tend to form covalent bonds with the neighboring anions because of the high electronegativity. The covalent Cd-O bonds affect other metal-oxygen bonds, inducing drastic changes in crystal structures and electronic states. Herein, we demonstrate high-pressure synthesis, crystal structure, and properties of a new quadruple perovskite CdCu3Fe4O12. This compound exhibits an electronic phase transition accompanying a charge disproportionation of Fe ions without charge ordering below ∼200 K, unlike charge-disproportionation transition with rock-salt-type charge ordering for CaCu3Fe4O12. First-principle calculations and Mössbauer spectroscopy display that covalent Cd-O bonds effectively suppress the Fe-O bond covalency, resulting in an electronic state different from that of CaCu3Fe4O12. This finding proposes covalency competition among constituent metal ions dominating electronic states of complex metal oxides.

Mixed-Spin Diamond Chain Cu2FePO4F4(H2O)4 with a Noncollinear Spin Order and Possible Successive Phase Transitions.

A diamond spin chain system, one of the one-dimensional frustrated lattices, is known to exhibit novel properties, but experimental studies have been exclusively confined to materials with a single spin component. Here, we report on the synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of a new diamond chain compound Cu2FePO4F4(H2O)4 1 composed of mixed-spins of Cu2+ (S = 1/2 × 2) and Fe3+ (S = 5/2). Compound 1 crystallizes in the space group C2/c of the monoclinic crystal system with a = 7.7546(4) Å, b = 12.1290(6) Å, c = 9.9209(6) Å, ß = 105.29(1)°, and Z = 4. DC magnetization, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and heat capacity measurements revealed an antiferromagnetic order at 11.3 K with a small ferromagnetic component. It is suggested that ferrimagnetic diamond chains are arranged in an antiferromagnetic fashion (i.e., [...Fe(↑)-2Cu(↓↓)-Fe(↑)...] and [...Fe(↓)-2Cu(↑↑)-Fe(↓)...]) within the ab plane to cancel net magnetization, and the spin orientation of the diamond chains changes alternately along the c axis due to the magnetic anisotropy, leading to a noncollinear spin order. Furthermore, another anomaly is observed in the heat capacity at around 3 K, suggesting a successive magnetic transition or crossover due to competing magnetic interactions.

An Ising iron(ii) chain exhibits a large finite-size energy barrier and "hard" magnetic behaviour.

One-dimensional spin chains featuring strong axial anisotropic magnetism are promising candidates for isolatable and miniatured information storage materials, the so-called single-chain magnets (SCMs). Here we show a mixed azido/carboxylato bridged metamagnetic iron(ii) chain [Fe(N3)2(4-mpc)]n (4-mpc = N-methylpyridinium-4-carboxylate) with a large energy barrier of 150 K, a large remnant magnetization (1.55Nß) and coercivity (1.7 T at 2 K) for homo-spin SCMs. Heat capacity and Mössbauer spectroscopy studies corroborate the intrinsic nature of SCM behavior regardless of weak interchain magnetic interactions, which lead to the coexistence of metamagnetism but not long-range magnetic ordering. Moreover, detailed magnetic investigations indicate that the system is not only within the "Ising limit" but also in the "finite-size" regime.

Impact of Lanthanoid Substitution on the Structural and Physical Properties of an Infinite-Layer Iron Oxide.

The effect of lanthanoid (Ln = Nd, Sm, Ho) substitution on the structural and physical properties of the infinite-layer iron oxide SrFeO2 was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) at ambient and high pressure, neutron diffraction, and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Ln for Sr substituted samples up to ∼30% were synthesized by topochemical reduction using CaH2. While the introduction of the smaller Ln3+ ion reduces the a axis as expected, we found an unusual expansion of the c axis as well as the volume. Rietveld refinements along with pair distribution function analysis revealed the incorporation of oxygen atoms between FeO2 layers with a charge-compensated composition of (Sr1-xLnx)FeO2+x/2, which accounts for the failed electron doping to the FeO2 layer. The incorporated partial apical oxygen or the pyramidal coordination induces incoherent buckling of the FeO2 sheet, leading to a significant reduction of the Néel temperature. High-pressure XRD experiments for (Sr0.75Ho0.25)FeO2.125 suggest a possible stabilization of an intermediate spin state in comparison with SrFeO2, revealing a certain contribution of the in-plane Fe-O distance to the pressure-induced transition.

Contrasting Magnetic Behaviors in Rhodium- and Ruthenium-Doped Cubic Perovskite SrFeO3 : Nearly Ferromagnetic Metal versus Spin-Glass Insulator.

The effects of Rh and Ru doping for SrFeO3 , a helimagnetic metal with a cubic perovskite structure, are studied by magnetic and resistivity measurements. Although SrRhO3 is a paramagnetic metal and SrRuO3 is a ferromagnetic one, the Rh doping induces a nearly ferromagnetic metallic state, whereas the Ru doping induces a spin-glass insulating state. Mössbauer measurements evidence a marked difference between SrFe0.8 Rh0.2 O3 and SrFe0.8 Ru0.2 O3 in the formal valences of Fe, which are estimated to be 4+ and 3.75+, respectively. The contrasting magnetic behaviors of Rh- and Ru-doped SrFeO3 are discussed in terms of the subtle balance between the double-exchange ferromagnetism and the superexchange antiferromagnetism.

Abiotic Deposition of Fe Complexes onto Leptothrix Sheaths.

Bacteria classified in species of the genus Leptothrix produce extracellular, microtubular, Fe-encrusted sheaths. The encrustation has been previously linked to bacterial Fe oxidases, which oxidize Fe(II) to Fe(III) and/or active groups of bacterial exopolymers within sheaths to attract and bind aqueous-phase inorganics. When L. cholodnii SP-6 cells were cultured in media amended with high Fe(II) concentrations, Fe(III) precipitates visibly formed immediately after addition of Fe(II) to the medium, suggesting prompt abiotic oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III). Intriguingly, these precipitates were deposited onto the sheath surface of bacterial cells as the population was actively growing. When Fe(III) was added to the medium, similar precipitates formed in the medium first and were abiotically deposited onto the sheath surfaces. The precipitates in the Fe(II) medium were composed of assemblies of globular, amorphous particles (ca. 50 nm diameter), while those in the Fe(III) medium were composed of large, aggregated particles (≥3 µm diameter) with a similar amorphous structure. These precipitates also adhered to cell-free sheaths. We thus concluded that direct abiotic deposition of Fe complexes onto the sheath surface occurs independently of cellular activity in liquid media containing Fe salts, although it remains unclear how this deposition is associated with the previously proposed mechanisms (oxidation enzyme- and/or active group of organic components-involved) of Fe encrustation of the Leptothrix sheaths.

Inverse Charge Transfer in the Quadruple Perovskite CaCu3Fe4O12.

Structural and spectroscopic analyses revealed that the quadruple perovskite CaCu3Fe4O12 undergoes an "inverse" electron charge transfer in which valence electrons move from B-site Fe to A'-site Cu ions (∼3Cu(∼2.4+) + 4Fe(∼3.65+) → ∼3Cu(∼2.2+) + 4Fe(∼3.8+)) simultaneously with a charge disproportionation transition (4Fe(∼3.8+) → ∼2.4Fe(3+) + ∼1.6Fe(5+)), on cooling below 210 K. The direction of the charge transfer for CaCu3Fe4O12 is opposite to those reported for other perovskite oxides such as BiNiO3 and ACu3Fe4O12 (A = Sr(2+) or the large trivalent rare-earth metal ions), in which the electrons move from A/A'-site to B-site ions. This finding sheds a light on a new aspect in intermetallic phenomena for complex transition metal compounds.

A Nearly Ideal One-Dimensional S = 5/2 Antiferromagnet FeF3(4,4'-bpy) (4,4'-bpy =4,4'-bipyridyl) with Strong Intrachain Interactions.

An ideal one-dimensional (1D) magnet is expected to show exotic quantum phenomena. For compounds with larger S (S = 3/2, 2, 5/2, ...), however, a small interchain interaction J' tends to drive a conventional long-range ordered (LRO) state. Here, a new layered structure of FeF3(4,4'-bpy) (4,4'-bpy = 4,4'-bipyridyl) with novel S = 5/2 (Fe(3+)) chains has been hydrothermally synthesized by using 4,4'-bpy to separate chains. The temperature-dependent susceptibility exhibits a broad maximum at high as 164 K, suggesting a fairly strong Fe-F-Fe intrachain interaction J. However, no anomaly associated with a LRO is seen in both magnetic susceptibility and specific heat even down to 2 K. This indicates an extremely small J' with J'/J < 3.2 × 10(-5), making this new material a nearly ideal 1D antiferromagnet. Mössbauer spectroscopy at 2.7 K reveals a critical slowing down of the 1D fluctuations toward a possible LRO at lower temperatures.

Charge-order melting in charge-disproportionated perovskite CeCu3Fe4O12.

A novel quadruple perovskite oxide CeCu3Fe4O12 has been synthesized under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions of 15 GPa and 1473 K. (57)Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy displays a charge disproportionation transition of 4Fe(3.5+) → 3Fe(3+) + Fe(5+) below ∼270 K, whereas hard X-ray photoemission and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements confirm that the Ce and Cu valences are retained at approximately +4 and +2, respectively, over the entire temperature range measured. Electron and X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the body-centered cubic symmetry (space group Im3̅, No. 204) is retained at temperatures as low as 100 K, indicating the absence of any types of charge-ordering in the charge-disproportionated CeCu3Fe4O12 phase. The magnetic susceptibility and neutron powder diffraction data illustrate that the antiferromagnetic ordering of Fe ions is predominant in the charge-disproportionated CeCu3Fe4O12 phase. These findings suggest that CeCu3Fe4O12 undergoes a new type of electronic phase in the ACu3Fe4O12 series and that the melting of the charge-ordering in CeCu3Fe4O12 is caused by the substantial decrease in the Fe valence and the resulting large deviation from the ideal abundance ratio of Fe(3+):Fe(5+) = 1:1 for rock-salt-type charge-ordering.

Valence transitions in negative thermal expansion material SrCu3Fe4O12.

The valence states of a negative thermal expansion material, SrCu3Fe4O12, are investigated by X-ray absorption and (57)Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Spectroscopic analyses reveal that the appropriate ionic model of this compound at room temperature is Sr(2+)Cu(~2.4+)3Fe(~3.7+)4O12. The valence states continuously transform to Sr(2+)Cu(~2.8+)3Fe(~3.4+)4O12 upon cooling to ~200 K, followed by a charge disproportionation transition into the Sr(2+)Cu(~2.8+)3Fe(3+)(~3.2)Fe(5+)(~0.8)O12 valence state at ~4 K. These observations have established the charge-transfer mechanism in this compound, and the electronic phase transitions in SrCu3Fe4O12 can be distinguished from the first-order charge-transfer phase transitions (3Cu(2+) + 4Fe(3.75+) → 3Cu(3+) + 4Fe(3+)) in Ln(3+)Cu(2+)3Fe(3.75+)4O12 (Ln = trivalent lanthanide ions).

Stability of α''-Fe16N2 in hydrogenous atmospheres.

We revealed the inherent instability of α''-Fe16N2 in hydrogenous atmospheres due to the denitrification toward α-Fe by forming NH3 at the particle surface. Coating the particle surface with SiO2 to suppress the formation of NH3 has proven to be a simple yet powerful method to enhance the stability of α''-Fe16N2 in hydrogenous atmospheres.

Bacterial nanometric amorphous Fe-based oxide: a potential lithium-ion battery anode material.

Amorphous Fe(3+)-based oxide nanoparticles produced by Leptothrix ochracea, aquatic bacteria living worldwide, show a potential as an Fe(3+)/Fe(0) conversion anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The presence of minor components, Si and P, in the original nanoparticles leads to a specific electrode architecture with Fe-based electrochemical centers embedded in a Si, P-based amorphous matrix.

Control of bond-strain-induced electronic phase transitions in iron perovskites.

Unusual electronic phase transitions in the A-site ordered perovskites LnCu3Fe4O12 (Ln: trivalent lanthanide ion) are investigated. All LnCu3Fe4O12 compounds are in identical valence states of Ln(3+)Cu(2+)3Fe(3.75+)4O12 at high temperature. LnCu3Fe4O12 with larger Ln ions (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb) show an intersite charge transfer transition (3Cu(2+) + 4Fe(3.75+) → 3Cu(3+) + 4Fe(3+)) in which the transition temperature decreases from 360 to 240 K with decreasing Ln ion size. In contrast, LnCu3Fe4O12 with smaller Ln ions (Ln = Dy, Ho, Er, Tm Yb, Lu) transform into a charge-disproportionated (8Fe(3.75+) → 5Fe(3+) + 3Fe(5+)) and charge-ordered phase below ∼250-260 K. The former series exhibits metal-to-insulator, antiferromagnetic, and isostructural volume expansion transitions simultaneously with intersite charge transfer. The latter shows metal-to-semiconductor, ferrimagnetic, and structural phase transitions simultaneously with charge disproportionation. Bond valence calculation reveals that the metal-oxygen bond strains in these compounds are classified into two types: overbonding or compression stress (underbonding or tensile stress) in the Ln-O (Fe-O) bond is dominant in the former series, while the opposite stresses or bond strains are found in the latter. Intersite charge transfer transition temperatures are strongly dependent upon the global instability indices that represent the structural instability calculated from the bond valence sum, whereas the charge disproportionation occurs at almost identical temperatures, regardless of the magnitude of structural instability. These findings provide a new aspect of the structure-property relationship in transition metal oxides and enable precise control of electronic states by bond strains.

Weak ferromagnetic transition with a dielectric anomaly in hexagonal Lu0.5Sc0.5FeO3.

Lu1-xScxFeO3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) was synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction. The hexagonal phase appeared at 0.4 ≤ x ≤ 0.6, between the perovskite phase (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) and the bixbyite phase (0.7 ≤ x ≤ 1). Structural, magnetic, and dielectric properties of hexagonal Lu0.5Sc0.5FeO3 were investigated. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the crystal structure of Lu0.5Sc0.5FeO3 is isomorphic to hexagonal ferroelectrics RMnO3 (R = rare earth ion) with a polar space group of P63cm. A weak ferromagnetic transition with a dielectric anomaly occurred at a much higher temperature (162 K) than those in hexagonal RMnO3. Although remanent magnetization was observed below the transition temperature, it decreased to almost zero at 10 K. These results indicate a strong antiferromagnetic interaction between ground-state Fe(3+) ions on the triangular lattice.

Quantitative understanding of thermal stability of α''-Fe16N2.

The thermal stability of α''-Fe16N2, which attracts much interest because of its superior magnetic properties featuring a large magnetocrystalline anisotropy (Ku ~ 1 × 10(7) erg cm(-3)) and a large saturation magnetization (Ms ~ 234 emu g(-1)), though unfortunately thermally unstable, has been quantitatively studied.

Sr2FeO3 with stacked infinite chains of FeO4 square planes.

The synthesis of Sr2FeO3 through a hydride reduction of the Ruddlesden-Popper layered perovskite Sr2FeO4 is reported. Rietveld refinements using synchrotron and neutron powder diffraction data revealed that the structure contains corner-shared FeO4 square-planar chains running along the [010] axis, being isostructural with Sr2CuO3 (Immm space group). Fairly strong Fe-O-Fe and Fe-Fe interactions along [010] and [100], respectively, make it an S = 2 quasi two-dimensional (2D) rectangular lattice antiferromagnet. This compound represents the end-member (n = 1) of the serial system Sr(n+1)FenO(2n+1), together with previously reported Sr3Fe2O5 (n = 2) and SrFeO2 (n = ∞), thus giving an opportunity to study the 2D-to-3D dimensional crossover. Neutron diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy show the occurrence of G-type antiferromagnetic order below 179 K, which is, because of dimensional reduction, significantly lower than those of the other members, 296 K in Sr3Fe2O5 and 468 K in SrFeO2. However, the temperature dependence of magnetic moment shows a universal behavior.

Suppression of intersite charge transfer in charge-disproportionated perovskite YCu3Fe4O12.

A novel iron perovskite YCu3Fe4O12 was synthesized under high pressure and high temperature of 15 GPa and 1273 K. Synchrotron X-ray and electron diffraction measurements have demonstrated that this compound crystallizes in the cubic AA'3B4O12-type perovskite structure (space group Im3, No. 204) with a lattice constant of a = 7.30764(10) Šat room temperature. YCu3Fe4O12 exhibits a charge disproportionation of 8Fe(3.75+) → 3Fe(5+) + 5Fe(3+), a ferrimagnetic ordering, and a metal-semiconductor-like transition simultaneously at 250 K, unlike the known isoelectronic compound LaCu3Fe4O12 that currently shows an intersite charge transfer of 3Cu(2+) + 4Fe(3.75+) → 3Cu(3+) + 4Fe(3+), an antiferromagnetic ordering, and a metal-insulator transition at 393 K. This finding suggests that intersite charge transfer is not the only way of relieving the instability of the Fe(3.75+) state in the A(3+)Cu(2+)3Fe(3.75+)4O12 perovskites. Crystal structure analysis reveals that bond strain, rather than the charge account of the A-site alone, which is enhanced by large A(3+) ions, play an important role in determining which of intersite charge transfer or charge disproportionation is practical.

(Sr(1-x)Ba(x))FeO2 (0.4 ≤ x ≤ 1): a new oxygen-deficient perovskite structure.

Topochemical reduction of (layered) perovskite iron oxides with metal hydrides has so far yielded stoichiometric compositions with ordered oxygen defects with iron solely in FeO(4) square planar coordination. Using this method, we have successfully obtained a new oxygen-deficient perovskite, (Sr(1-x)Ba(x))FeO(2) (0.4 ≤ x ≤ 1.0), revealing that square planar coordination can coexist with other 3-6-fold coordination geometries. This BaFeO(2) structure is analogous to the LaNiO(2.5) structure in that one-dimensional octahedral chains are linked by planar units, but differs in that one of the octahedral chains contains a significant amount of oxygen vacancies and that all the iron ions are exclusively divalent in the high-spin state. Mössbauer spectroscopy demonstrates, despite the presence of partial oxygen occupations and structural disorders, that the planar-coordinate Fe(2+) ions are bonded highly covalently, which accounts for the formation of the unique structure. At the same time, a rigid 3D Fe-O-Fe framework contributes to structural stabilization. Powder neutron diffraction measurements revealed a G-type magnetic order with a drastic decrease of the Néel temperature compared to that of SrFeO(2), presumably due to the effect of oxygen disorder/defects. We also performed La substitution at the Ba site and found that the oxygen vacancies act as a flexible sink to accommodate heterovalent doping without changing the Fe oxidation and spin state, demonstrating the robustness of this new structure against cation substitution.