The Magnetic Properties and Mössbauer Spectra of Synthetic Samples of Fe3S4

Abstract

The magnetic properties of a number of samples of synthetic Fe3S4 have been studied using both static magnetization measurements and Mössbauer effect spectrometry. The distinction is made between the intrinsic properties of bulk Fe3S4 and observations resulting from superparamagnetic behavior and nonstoichiometry. Mössbauer spectra in applied fields show that the bulk material has a simple Néel ferrimagnetic spin arrangement. The magnetic moment at 4.2 °K is 2.2 ± 0.3 μB per formula unit and the ordering temperature is 606 ± 2 °K. Conductivity measurements indicate semimetallic behavior and two alternative band schemes are proposed to account for this feature and explain the magnetic moment.