Show simple item record

Files in this item

Thumbnail

Item metadata

dc.contributor.advisorLightfoot, Philip
dc.contributor.authorDownie, Lewis James
dc.coverage.spatial200en_US
dc.date.accessioned2014-01-28T09:44:21Z
dc.date.available2014-01-28T09:44:21Z
dc.date.issued2014-06-25
dc.identifieruk.bl.ethos.588947
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/4423
dc.description.abstractThis thesis is concerned with the study of two families of materials which contain magnetically frustrated triangular lattices. Each material is concerned with a different use; the first, analogues of YMnO₃, is from a family of materials called multiferroics, the second, A₂MCu₃F₁₂ (where A = Rb¹⁺, Cs¹⁺, M = Zr⁴⁺, Sn⁴⁺, Ti⁴⁺, Hf⁴⁺), are materials which are of interest due to their potentially unusual magnetic properties deriving from a highly frustrated Cu²⁺-based kagome lattice. YFeO₃, YbFeO₃ and InFeO₃ have been synthesised as their hexagonal polymorphs. YFeO₃ and YbFeO₃ have been studied in depth by neutron powder diffraction, A.C. impedance spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetometry. It was found that YFeO₃ and YbFeO₃ are structurally similar to hexagonal YMnO₃ but there is evidence for a subtle phase separation in each case. Low temperature magnetic properties are also reported, and subtle correlations between the structural, electrical and magnetic properties of these materials have been found. InFeO₃ was found to adopt a higher symmetry and is structurally similar to the high temperature phase of YMnO₃. TbInO₃ and DyInO₃ have also been synthesised and studied at various temperatures. The phase behaviour of TbInO₃ was analysed in detail using neutron powder diffraction and internal structural changes versus temperature were mapped out – there is also evidence for a subtle isosymmetric phase transition. Neither DyInO₃ nor TbInO₃ show long-range magnetic order between 2 and 300 K, or any signs of ferroelectricity at room temperature. The new compounds Cs₂TiCu₃F₁₂ and Rb₂TiCu₃F₁₂ have both been synthesised and shown to be novel kagome lattice based materials. The former shows a transition from rhombohedral to monoclinic symmetry in the powder form and from rhombohedral to a larger rhombohedral unit cell in the single crystal – a particle size based transition pathway is suggested. For Rb₂TiCu₃F₁₂ a complex triclinic unit cell is found, which distorts with lowering temperature. Both materials show magnetic transitions with lowering temperature. The solid solution Cs₂₋ₓRbₓSnCu₃F₁₂ (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0) was synthesised and investigated crystallographically, demonstrating a range of behaviours. Rb₂SnCu₃F₁₂ displays a rare re-entrant structural phase transition. In contrast, Cs₀.₅Rb₁.₅SnCu₃F₁₂ shows only the first transition found in the Rb⁺ end member. CsRbSnCu₃F₁₂ adopts a lower symmetry at both room temperature and below. Cs₁.₅Rb₀.₅SnCu₃F₁₂ and Cs₂SnCu₃F₁₂ show a rhombohedral - monoclinic transition, which is similar to that found in Cs₂TiCu₃F₁₂.en_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of St Andrews
dc.subjectSolid state chemistryen_US
dc.subjectFluoridesen_US
dc.subjectOxidesen_US
dc.subjectCrystallographyen_US
dc.subjectMagnetismen_US
dc.subjectFerroelectricsen_US
dc.subjectNeutron diffractionen_US
dc.subjectSynchrotron X-ray diffractionen_US
dc.subject.lccQD478.D7
dc.subject.lcshSolid state chemistryen_US
dc.subject.lcshFerromagnetic materialsen_US
dc.subject.lcshFerroelectric crystalsen_US
dc.titleStructure and properties of some triangular lattice materialsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen_US
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD Doctor of Philosophyen_US
dc.publisher.institutionThe University of St Andrewsen_US


This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record