title: Coexistence of spin ordering on ladders and spin dimer formation in a new-structure-type compound Sr2Co3S2O3.
abstract: We report on the syntheses and characterizations of single crystalline and polycrystalline Sr2Co3S2O3with a novel crystal structure type. It contains Co-O 2-leg rectangular ladders and necklace ladders. The two ladders share common legs and construct a hybrid spin ladder. A rare meridional heteroleptic octahedral coordination is found for the Co2+ions in the 2-leg ladder. Within the necklace ladders, the Co2+ions are in trans-octahedral coordination. An antiferromagnetic order is observed at TN~ 267 K, while a broad maximum in magnetic susceptibility is found below TN. This relatively high ordering temperature among Co-based ladder compounds is related to the highly anisotropic mer-coordination of the Co2+ions. The trans-octahedrally coordinated Co2+ions, on the other hand, corresponds to the possible short-range magnetic correlations through dimers with an effective . This results in a rare situation that spin ordering and spin dimers coexist down to 2 K.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Nöthnitzer Str. 40, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Kwing To
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Nöthnitzer Str. 40, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valldor