Crystal Structure-Dependent Magnetism in the Nb–Fe–Te Ternary Phase: A Case Study of Layered Telluride Material Nb <sub>1.1</sub> Fe <sub>1.8</sub> Te <sub>4</sub>
We report the synthesis, crystal structure, and physical properties of a new layered telluride, Nb1.1Fe1.8Te4, with an orthorhombic Pmmn (No. 59) structure that features mixed Nb/Fe occupancy on an octahedral site and positional disorder of Fe on a partially filled tetrahedral interstitial site. Magnetic measurements uncover a canonical spin-glass transition at ∼25 K, supported by frequency-dependent ac susceptibility. Transport studies show semiconducting-like resistivity arising from a combination of a metallic channel and two-dimensional variable-range hopping, together with negative magnetoresistance attributable to spin-disorder scattering. Nb1.1Fe1.8Te4 displays remarkably similar magnetic and transport properties as a material with different occupancies and symmetry, highlighting the disordered Fe–Te framework in stabilizing glassy magnetism.
Authors
- Jianqi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0390-0501)
- M. Liu
- Hanlin Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7920-3868)
- Sheng Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4729-9460)
- Zhanbo Liu
- Ziyu Liang
- Xinglong Chen
- Zhixiang Shi
Institutions
- Jiangsu University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Purple Mountain Laboratories (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Crystal Growth & Design
- Published
- 2026-01-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.5c01748
- Primary Topic
- Iron-based superconductors research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00