Short- and long-range disorders in misfit layered compounds (MS)1.2+qNbS2 with the solid solution subsystem (MS) = (GdxDy1-xS)

Abstract

We have synthesized misfit compounds (GdxDy1-xS)1.2+qNbS2 with a solid solution as a guest layer by sulfurization under CS2/H2S/Ar gas flow and consolidated them by pressure-assisted sintering. We have studied the real structure of polycrystalline samples at different scales (X-Ray diffraction, EXAFS, Raman spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility and diffusion reflection spectroscopy). It has been shown that the microstructure of samples and the lattice structure disorders mainly determine the optical and magnetic properties of misfit compounds. The obtained data allowed us to describe correlations among changes in the real structures, phonon spectra, band-gap and exchange interactions of [GdxDy1-xS] and [NbS2] subsystems in misfit layered compounds.