Neutron studies of cation disorder in Zn2FeV3O11-δ

Polycrystalline Zn2FeV3O11-delta samples were studied by neutron diffraction and ac magnetic susceptibility in the temperature range of 10-300 K. This material, crystallizing in the triclinic space group P1, has a complicated structure with cation disorder. Down to 10 K, no magnetic long-range order was found, in contrast to suggestions based on the temperature dependence of the static magnetic susceptibility and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Essential differences in the positions of the metal ions were observed relative to those calculated earlier from X-ray diffraction (XRD). It is proposed that disorder of iron and zinc atoms could be responsible for significant differences in the physical properties reported for this compound. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.