Itinerant antiferromagnetism in Co3S4-δ

We present experimental and theoretical investigations for the cobalt thiospinel Co3S4-8. High-quality samples of Co3S4-8 (8 -0.1) were prepared so as to measure their intrinsic properties. The measurements of magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and electrical transport consistently indicate an antiferromagnetic transition at -60 K, which is attributed to long-range magnetic ordering in the Co(A) (A-site Co ions) diamond sublattice. In addition, there exists a short-range magnetic ordering at around 120 K associated with the magnetic frustrations. The high-temperature magnetic susceptibility obeys Curie-Weiss law, from which a small effective magnetic moment of 1.0 mu B per formula unit is yielded. The main experimental results can be interpreted by the density-functional-theory calculations with a Hubbard U correction of -0.5 eV. Combining the experimental measurements with the theoretical calculations, we conclude that Co3S4 represents a rare example of itinerant-electron diamond-lattice antiferromagnet with moderate electron correlations.

Automated summary

This study presents experimental and theoretical investigations on the cobalt thiospinel Co3S4-8, revealing an antiferromagnetic transition at -60 K and a short-range magnetic ordering at around 120 K. The results suggest that Co3S4 is a rare example of itinerant-electron diamond-lattice antiferromagnet with moderate electron correlations.