EPR study of disorder processes in the ternary vanadate Zn2FeV3O11− compound

Two samples of the Zn 2 FeV 3 O 11 compound were synthesized using different preparation routes: a solid state reaction of the ZnO-Fe 2 O 3 -V 2 O 5 oxides and a direct reaction of the Zn 2 V 2 O 7 and FeVO 4 vanadates. In both cases the temperature dependences of the EPR spectra revealed a dominant contribution of antiferromagnetically coupled Fe 3+ ions in the high-spin state. Specific differences in the EPR spectra of the two samples were recorded at all the investigated temperature intervals. A short range, or less likely, partial magnetic order involving a fraction of the Fe 3+ distributed on the two octahedral crystallographic sites appeared to take place below 50 K. The differences observed between the EPR spectra of the two Zn 2 FeV 3 O 11 samples might suggest the existence of small variations in the cation disorder phenomena of Fe 3+ and Zn 2+ ions or the presence of an oxygen deficiency process.