Magnetic Property Anomalies in Rutile-type Spin Glass CrNbO4: Bulk vs. Nanoparticle Aggregates

Abstract

Abstract Spin glasses are of fundamental interest in the field of magnetism. CrNbO4 that crystallizes in a rutile structure is known as an antiferromagnetic oxide exhibiting a spin glass transition due to cationic disorder. The present study compares the magnetic properties of CrNbO4 synthesized by two different methods: high-temperature solid state reaction and sol-gel synthesis. The morphologies of these materials were found to be different. In the sample synthesized by solid state reaction, competing antiferromagnetic interactions and cluster spin glass states were observed. In contrast, the sample obtained by the sol-gel method clearly showed only the cluster spin glass transition at 7\xa0K. The partial ordering of Cr3+ ions in the structure and microstructural differences between these samples are responsible for the observed anomalies in the magnetic properties of CrNbO4.