Eur. Phys. J. B 35, 311-316 (2003)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2003-00282-4

Crystallographic and magnetic structure of ZnV₂O₄

Structural phase transition due to spin-driven Jahn-Teller distortions

¹ Experimentalphysik V, Elektronische Korrelationen und Magnetismus, Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, 86159 Augsburg, Germany
² Physikalisches Institut, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, 60054 Frankfurt, Germany

Corresponding author: ^a alexander.krimmel@physik.uni-augsburg.de

Received: 19 February 2003
Revised: 8 July 2003
Published online: 15 October 2003

Abstract

We report on the crystallographic and magnetic structure of the geometrically frustrated spinel ZnV₂O₄ as determined by neutron powder diffraction. At T=51 K, a cubic-to-tetragonal phase transition takes place. The low temperature crystallographic structure is characterized by the space group and unit cell dimensions with a being the lattice constant of the cubic phase. The corresponding antiferromagnetic structure of the vanadium sublattice can be described by a propagation vector with the magnetic moments being aligned parallel to the c-axis. The ordered magnetic moment is 0.65(5) per V³⁺ ion. The experimental results are in accord with recent theoretical models proposing spin-driven Jahn-Teller distortions. The results are also compared with reports on non-ordering ZnV₂O₄.