Neutron Diffraction Study on MnPS₃ and FePS₃

Abstract

Neutron diffraction study on the layer compounds MnPS 3 and FePS 3 reveals a collinear antiferromagnetic order, respectively, below T N =78 K and 120 K with the corresponding wave vectors k =[000] and [\(00\frac{1}{2}\)], the magnetic moments pointing to the direction perpendicular to the layer planes for both cases. The intralayer exchange parameters between first ( J 1 ), second ( J 2 ) and third nearest neighbors ( J 3 ) are all antiferromagnetic for MnPS 3 , whereas for FePS 3 J 1 is ferromagnetic and J 2 and J 3 are antiferromagnetic, all of which have the same sign as those for the respective selenium compounds, but the absolute values are a bit larger in the sulfides than in the selenides.