Journal of Crystal Growth, Vol.475, 281-285, 2017
Flux growth of multiferroic Cu3Nb2O8 single crystals
Cu3Nb2O8 belongs to a new multiferroic family with coexisting structure and magnetic chiralities. In this work, we report on the flux growth of Cu3Nb2O8 single crystals using a V2O5-K2MoO4 mixture as the flux with a 5: 1 ratio. The obtained crystals have an average size of 3 x 3 x 2 mm(3) and high quality determined from X-ray diffraction, specific heat and susceptibility measurements. The experimental results on the single crystals reveal robust anomalies at 26.2 K and 24.5 K in specific heat and magnetic anisotropy along different crystallographic axes, which provide a better understanding of this fascinating multiferroic compound. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:Characterization;Single crystal growth;Flux method;Inorganic compounds;Multiferroic material