Temperature dependence of structural parameters of the layered magnetic glass Fe0.5Ni0.5PS3

Abstract

The layered magnetic materials of the MPS3 family (M=2+ metal) show a wide range of behaviours. Recently, magnetic glassiness, with a relaxation time of the order of an hour, was observed in Fe0.5Ni0.5PS3. The relaxation depends on sample history, both thermal and applied magnetic field. Here some aspects of the behaviour of the magnetic and crystal structure with temperature and field are explored using the Wombat powder diffractometer at ANSTO. Diffuse scattering can be seen to decrease as temperature falls and to fall sharply at the magnetic transition, and at different scattering vector Q to the magnetic Bragg peaks. This suggests a short-range ordered magnetic structure with different spin-spin correlations to the long-range ordered structure.