Magnetic properties and neutron diffraction study of two manganese sulfosalts: monoclinic MnSb2S4 and benavidesite (MnPb4Sb6S14)

Abstract

Mn2+Sb2S4, a monoclinic dimorph of clerite, and benavidesite (Mn2+Pb4Sb6S14) show well-individualized single chains of manganese atoms in octahedral coordination. Their magnetic structures are presented and compared with those of iron derivatives, berthierite (Fe2+Sb2S4) and jamesonite (Fe2+Pb4Sb6S14). Within chains, interactions are antiferromagnetic. Like berthierite, MnSb2S4 shows a spiral magnetic structure with an incommensurate 1D propagation vector [0, 0.369, 0], unchanged with temperature. In berthierite, the interactions between identical chains are antiferromagnetic, whereas in MnSb2S4 interactions between chains are ferromagnetic along c-axis. Below 6 K, jamesonite and benavidesite have commensurate magnetic structures with the same propagation vector [0.5, 0, 0]: jamesonite is a canted ferromagnet and iron magnetic moments are mainly oriented along the a-axis, whereas for benavidesite, no angle of canting is detected, and manganese magnetic moments are oriented along b-axis. Below 30 K, for both compounds, one-dimensional magnetic ordering or correlations are visible in the neutron diagrams and persist down to 1.4 K.