Structure and magnetism of single crystal Sr4Ru3O10:: A ferromagnetic triple-layer ruthenate -: art. no. 214412

We have determined the structure and magnetic properties of flux-grown single crystals of the triple-layer ruthenate Sr4Ru3O10 by x-ray diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements, respectively. The orthorhombic unit cell has Pbam space group symmetry and contains two crystallographically independent triple layers. The RuO6 octahedra in the outer two layers of each triple layer are rotated by an average of 5.6degrees around the c axis, while the octahedra of the inner layers are rotated in the opposite sense by an average of 11.0degrees. The Curie temperature of these ferromagnetic crystals is T-Curie=105 K, with a saturated moment of 1.0 mu(B)/Ru4+ ion. Thus Sr4Ru3O10 is a layered ferromagnetic ruthenate in the Ruddlesden-Popper (R-P) series Srn+1RunO3n+1, which also includes the unconventional superconductor Sr2RuO4 (n=1), the enhanced paramagnetic metal Sr3Ru2O7 (n=2), and the pseudocubic ferromagnetic metal SrRuO3 (n=infinity).