New structural and magnetic aspects of the nanotube system Na2V3O7
Abstract
We present new experimental results of low temperature x-ray synchrotron diffraction, neutron scattering and very low temperature (mK-range) bulk measurements on the nanotube system . The crystal structure determined from our data is similar to the previously proposed model (P. Millet et al. J. Solid State Chem. 147, 676 (1999)), but also deviates from it in significant details. The structure comprises nanotubes along the c-axis formed by stacking units of two V-rings buckled in the ab-plane. The space group is P3 and the composition is nonstoichiometric, Na(2-x)V3O7, x=0.17. The thermal evolution of the lattice parameters reveals anisotropic lattice compression on cooling. Neutron scattering experiments monitor a very weak magnetic signal at energies from -20 to 9 meV. New magnetic susceptibility, specific heat measurements and decay of remanent magnetization in the 30 mK - 300 mK range reveal that the previously observed transition at ~76 mK is spin-glass like with no long-range order. Presented experimental observations do not support models of isolated clusters, but are compatible with a model of odd-legged S=1/2 spin tubes possibly segmented into fragments with different lengths.