Low-dimensional magnetism in the mixed Cr valence spin-chain compound Sr₄Cr₃O₉

Sr_4Cr_3O_9 is the n = 2 member of a family of quasi-one-dimensional compounds A_{n+2}T_{n+1}O_{3n+3} (A = Ca, Sr, or Ba, T = transition metal, and n = 1 to \infty) having a crystal structure which consists of chains of n TO_6 octahedra alternated by one TO_6 trigonal prism running along the c-axis. The chains are arranged on a triangular lattice in the ab-plane. We report the synthesis, structure, magnetization M versus magnetic field H, magnetic susceptibility \chi versus temperature T and specific heat C versus T measurements on sintered and arc-melted polycrystalline samples of Sr_4Cr_3O_9. The \chi data have a T dependence which is typical of low-dimensional magnetic systems with dominant antiferromagnetic (AF) exchange interactions. Specifically, \chi(T) shows a broad maximum at T_{max} \approx 200K for the sintered pellet and T_{max}\approx 265K for the arc-melted sample, indicating the onset of short-range magnetic order. Below T = 15K we observe 2 anomalies in the \chi(T) data for both samples suggesting the onset of long-range magnetic ordering. The corresponding anomalies in the C(T) data however are weak indicating that only a small amount of the expected magnetic entropy is recovered at the magnetic transitions and that strong short-range AF order exists above these temperatures.