Our group has published a new paper in Chemistry – A European Journal reporting the discovery of a new family of alkali chromium tellurides, A₂.₄Cr₈Te₁₄ (A = Rb, Cs), synthesized via self-flux growth.
By carefully tuning the composition of alkali-tellurium fluxes, Kai was able to access a previously unknown intergrowth structure that combines the 2D character of delafossite-like ACrTe₂ with the tunnel motifs of hollandite-like phases. This is resulting in a unique ladder-like hybrid framework. Single-crystal magnetization measurements reveal that the two compounds host distinct magnetic ground states: the Rb variant is antiferromagnetic (T_N = 114.5 K), while the Cs variant is ferrimagnetic (T_C = 125.0 K). The work highlights how subtle compositional adjustments in flux synthesis can unlock entirely new structure types with rich magnetic properties.
Congrats to Kai Röseler and Felix Eder! Link to paper