ISSN:
1089-7550
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Since the discovery of the high-Tc superconductors, there is a great interest in the magnetic properties of copper oxides due to the possibility of a magnetic origin of the pairing mechanism. With this perspective, we decide to reinvestigate the structure and the magnetic properties of Bi2CuO4, a compound we use successfully as precursor of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu high-Tc superconductors. A neutron powder diffraction experiment allowed us to resolve the ambiguity in the structure, and revealed the existence of a magnetic phase transition to a 3D antiferromagnetic ordered state below 50 K. The nuclear structure can be described as formed by stacks of CuO4 units in the c-axis direction, linked in the stacks and with units in other stacks by BiO2 chains, so each stack is connected with four stacks. The space group was confirmed to be P4/ncc. The magnetic space group is P4/n'cc. There is a ferromagnetic ordering of the magnetic moments on Cu atoms along the stacks, and an antiferromagnetic ordering between the stacks. We present an interpretation of the magnetic properties of this compound, at the light of our previous results, and a discussion of a calorimetric experiment.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.345956
