Structure and magnetic interactions in the solid solution Ba3−xSrxCr2O8

Solid solutions of the magnetic insulators Ba3Cr2O8 and Sr3Cr2O8 (Ba3−xSrxCr2O8) have been prepared in polycrystalline form for the first time. Single crystalline material was obtained using a mirror image floating zone technique. X-ray diffraction data taken at room temperature indicate that the space group of Ba3−xSrxCr2O8 remains unchanged for all values of x, while the cell parameters depend on the chemical composition, as expected. Magnetization data, measured from 300 K down to 2 K, suggest that the interaction constant Jd within the Cr5+ dimers varies in a peculiar way as a function of x, starting at Jd = 25 K for x = 0, then first slightly dropping to Jd = 18 K for x ≈ 0.75, before reaching Jd = 62 K for x = 3.