Crystal and magnetic structures of Cr1/3NbSe2 from neutron diffraction.

Crystal and magnetic structures of Cr1/3NbSe2 from neutron diffraction.

Neutron diffraction measurements of the Cr intercalated niobium diselenide Cr1/3NbSe2 together with magnetization measurements have revealed that this compound exhibits ferromagnetic ordering below TC = 96 K unlike a chiral helimagnetic order observed in the sulfide compound Cr1/3NbS2. As derived from neutron diffraction data, the Cr magnetic moments mu(Cr) = 2.83 +/- 0.03 mu(B) in Cr1/3NbSe2 are aligned within basal plane. The discrepancy in the magnetic states of Cr1/3NbS2 and Cr1/3NbSe2 is ascribed to the difference in the preferential site occupation of Cr ions in crystal lattices. In Cr1/3NbSe2, the Cr ions are predominantly distributed over 2b Wyckoff site, which determines a centrosymmetric character of the crystal structure unlike Cr1/3NbS2, where the Cr ions are mainly located in 2c position and the crystal structure is non-centrosymmetric. (c) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC.