Three new hexagonal perovskites with Cs3M+M2+RhCl9 (M+ = Na+, Ag+; M2+ = Mn2+, Fe2+) stoichiometry have been synthesized from solution precipitation reactions. These air-stable compounds crystallize as triply cation-ordered variants of the 6H perovskite structure. This structure contains octahedra that share a common face to form M2+RhCl94- dimers that are arranged on a two-dimensional triangular network. M+ cations reside in octahedral holes located between dimer layers and connect M2+RhCl94- dimers through corner-sharing linkages. The cation sites in the corner-sharing layers are fully occupied by Na+/Ag+, except for Cs3AgMnRhCl9, where a small amount of Ag+/Mn2+ antisite disorder is observed. The M2+RhCl94- dimers adopt an ordered configuration that lowers the symmetry from P63/mmc to P63mc. Optical absorption in the near ultraviolet (UV) and visible regions is dominated by Rh d-to-d transitions and metal-to-metal charge transfer transitions. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements show no sign of long-range magnetic order down to 2 K. Curie-Weiss fits reveal relatively weak antiferromagnetic interactions between M2+ ions, with Weiss constants that range from -2.3 to -5.4 K. The strength of the antiferromagnetic interactions between M2+ ions increases as the covalency of the M2+-Cl bond increases. The ordering of three different cations in the 6H perovskite structure diminishes magnetic coupling between layers, leading to a new family of two-dimensional triangular lattice antiferromagnets.
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