Magnetic susceptibility of quasi-one-dimensional compound alpha'-NaV2O5 - Possible spin-Peierls compound with high critical temperature of 34 K

Stoichiometric powder samples of alpha'-NaV2O5 were synthesized and the magnetic susceptibility was measured in the temperature range from 2 K to 700 K. The magnetic susceptibility has a good fit to the equation for an S = 1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg linear chain with J/k(B) = 280 K and g = 2 above 34 K. Below 34K the magnetic susceptibility rapidly decreases with decreasing temperature to a constant value of 1.49 x 10(-4) emu/V4+-mol which is reasonable for spin-singlet V4+-V4+ pairs. This rapid reduction of the spin susceptibility below 34 K suggests the existence of a spin-Peierls transition. alpha'-NaV2O5 is a possible spin-Peierls compound with the highest critical temperature yet observed.