Aurivillius Phase Bi4V3O12 with d1 Magnetic Cations, Anisotropic and Negative Thermal Expansion, Multiple Structural Transitions, and Low-Dimensional Magnetism.

Abstract

Aurivillius phases are an important class of inorganic compounds as they often show ferroelectric properties, and some members of this family are used in nonvolatile ferroelectric memories. The majority of Aurivillius phases have nonmagnetic d0 cations in the perovskite block. Bi4Ti3O12 is the best-known and extensively studied compound within this family. Here, using a high-pressure, high-temperature synthesis method, we could successfully prepare a full magnetic analogue, Bi4V3O12, with d1 cations. Bi4V3O12 is unstable in air above about 520 K. However, in an inert atmosphere, Bi4V3O12 demonstrates two first-order reversible structural transitions near 525 and 760 K. The high-temperature prototypical phase is the same in both Bi4V3O12 and Bi4Ti3O12 with tetragonal (T) I4/mmm symmetry and aT = 3.85608(5) Å and cT = 32.6920(8) Å (at 850 K) for Bi4V3O12, while the low-temperature phases are different. Bi4V3O12 shows anisotropic thermal expansion above 300 K and negative volumetric thermal expansion above about 700 K. Magnetic measurements showed a broad maximum near 70 K on magnetic susceptibility, indicating the presence of low-dimensional magnetism with strong antiferromagnetic interactions between V4+ ions with the Curie-Weiss temperature of about -370 K. But no long-range magnetic ordering was found in Bi4V3O12 down to 2 K.