Structural chemistry and magnetic properties of LnMnFeGe4O12 (Ln = Y, Eu, Lu)

Polycrystalline samples of LnMnFeGe4O12 (Ln = Y, Eu, Lu) have been prepared using the ceramic method and characterised by a combination of magnetometry, Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction. They all adopt the space group P4/nbm with a ~ 9.670, c ~ 4.81 Å and show long-range antiferromagnetic order with transition temperatures 15 ≤ TN/K ≤ 17. The magnetic structure is the same in each case and consists of an A-type ordering of (001) planes; the ordered spins lie in the (001) plane. Comparison with isostructural compounds leads to the conclusion that subtle structural changes play a greater role than the electronic configuration of the cation in determining the magnetic structure