Magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity of a novel antiferromagnet: LiNi(2)P(3)O(10) and the effect of doping

Abstract

We report the synthesis, x-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements on polycrystalline samples of undoped LiNi(2)P(3)O(10) and samples with non-magnetic impurity (Zn(2+), S = 0) and magnetic impurity (Cu(2+), S = 1/2) at the Ni site. The magnetic susceptibility data show a broad maximum at around 10 K and a small anomaly at about 7 K in the undoped sample. There is a lambda-like anomaly in the specific heat at 7 K, possibly due to the onset of antiferromagnetic ordering in the system. The magnetic entropy change at the ordering temperature is close to the value corresponding to R ln(2S + 1) expected for an S = 1 system. The temperature corresponding to the broad maximum and the ordering temperature both decrease on Zn and Cu substitutions and also in applied magnetic fields.