Synthesis, Structure, and Physical Properties of the Polar Magnet DyCrWO₆

Abstract

It has recently been reported that the ordered aeschynite-type polar (Pna21) magnets RFeWO6 (R = Eu, Tb, Dy, Y) exhibit type II multiferroic properties below TN ∼ 15–18 K. Herein, we report a comprehensive investigation of the isostructural oxide DyCrWO₆ and compare the results with those of DyFeWO6. The cation-ordered oxide DyCrWO₆ crystallizes in the same polar orthorhombic structure and undergoes antiferromagnetic ordering at TN = 25 K. Contrary to DyFeWO6, only a very weak dielectric anomaly and magnetodielectric effects are observed at the Néel temperature and, more importantly, there is no induced polarization at TN. Furthermore, analysis of the low-temperature neutron diffraction data reveals a collinear arrangement of Cr spins but a noncollinear Dy-spin configuration due to single-ion anisotropy. We suggest that the collinear arrangement of Cr spins may be responsible for the absence of electric polarization in DyCrWO₆. A temperature-induced magnetization reversal and magnetocaloric effects are observed at low temperatures.