Structural and magnetic properties of spin-1/2 dimer compound Cu(IPA)(DMF)(HO) with a large spin gap.

We present the synthesis and a detailed investigation of structural and magnetic properties of metal-organic compound Cu(IPA)(DMF)(HO) by means of x-ray diffraction, magnetization, and heat capacity measurements. Single crystals of the title compound were synthesized by judicious selection of organic ligand and employing a selective hydrothermal reaction route. It crystallizes in an orthorhombic structure with space group Cmca.

Double phase transition in the triangular antiferromagnet BaCoTaO.

Here, we report the synthesis and magnetic properties of a new triangular lattice antiferromagnet BaCoTaO. The effective spin of Co is found to be J  =  1/2 at low temperatures due to the combined effect of crystal field and spin-orbit coupling. BaCoTaO undergoes two successive magnetic phase transitions at [Formula: see text] K and [Formula: see text] K in zero applied field, which is typical for triangular antiferromagnets with the easy-axis magnetic anisotropy.