Preferential Spin Orientation of Fe2+ Towards the c-Axis in Fe x Ni1- x Cl2 System (0.034, 0.068 and 0.079)

Abstract

Fe x Ni1-x Cl2 is a mixed metal chloride and a random mixture with competing orthogonal spin anisotropies. In pure systems, Fe2+ shows a preferential spin inclination to the c-axis, while Ni2+ shows a weak spin anisotropy in the c-plane. Mossbauer spectra of the Fe x Ni1-x Cl2 system (0.034<x<0.079) observed below the Neel temperature (T N ) are composed of two types of sub-spectra: spectra I and II. We report the Mossbauer study of the magnetic behavior of different types of Fe2+ spins.