Frustrated magnets, characterized by competing magnetic interactions, have been suggested as an alternative to traditional magnetocalorics due to their inherent high entropy, which can be released in comparatively small applied magnetic fields [1]. In this talk, we will focus on compounds of the langbeinite type, which crystallize in the non-centrosymmetric polar space group P213. These compounds feature a highly frustrated motif of two interconnected trillium lattices of magnetic ions, consisting of a three-dimensional network of equilateral cornersharing triangles [2,3]. We will show insights from magnetic and thermodynamic data on a model langbeinite-type compound Cs2Fe2(MoO4)3 in combination with neutron diffraction and the local probe of 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Finally, we will present the magnetocaloric characterization of this highly frustrated magnet [4].
[1] M. E. Zhitomirsky, Phys. Rev. B, 67, 7 (2003)
[2] J. M. Hopkinson et al., Phys. Rev. B, 74, 224441 (2006)
[3] I. Živković et al., Phys. Rev. Let., 127, 157204 (2021)
[4] L. Kubíčková et al., Chem. Mater., under review
This work has received funding from the European Union's Research and Innovation Program Horizon Europe under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 101066568.