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Magnetic behavior of the 5d1 Re-based double perovskite Sr2ZnReO6

Muhammad Maikudi Isah1, Biswajit Dalal2,3, Xun Kang2, Dario Fiore Mosca4, Ifeanyi John Onuorah5, Valerio Scagnoli6,7, Pietro Bonfà8,9, Roberto De Renzi5, Alexei A. Belik2 et al.

Cesare Franchini4,1, Kazunari Yamaura2,10,*, and Samuele Sanna1,†

  • 1Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “A. Righi,” Universitá di Bologna, I-40127 Bologna, Italy
  • 2Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan
  • 3Department of Physics, Achhruram Memorial College, Jhalda, Purulia, West Bengal 723202, India
  • 4University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Center for Computational Materials Science, Kolingasse 14-16, 1090, Vienna, Austria
  • 5Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche, Fisiche e Informatiche, Universitá di Parma, I-43124 Parma, Italy
  • 6Laboratory for Mesoscopic Systems, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
  • 7PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
  • 8Dipartimento di Fisica, Informatica e Matematica, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213/a, 41125 Modena, Italy
  • 9CNR-NANO S3–Istituto Nanoscienze, 41125 Modena, Italy
  • 10Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 10 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan

  • *Contact author: yamaura.kazunari@nims.go.jp
  • †Contact author: s.sanna@unibo.it
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Phys. Rev. B 113, 104431 – Published 16 March, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/2ngs-7x82

Abstract

The subtle interplay between spin-orbit coupling, exchange interactions, and cation ordering can lead to exotic magnetic states in transition-metal ions. We report a comprehensive study of the Re-based (5d1) ordered double perovskite oxide Sr2ZnReO6 combining synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic susceptibility, muon spin relaxation (μSR) measurements, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. XRD reveals that Sr2ZnReO6 crystallizes in the monoclinic structure (space group P21/n) at low temperature. Magnetic susceptibility data indicate a transition below ∼13K, with M–H loops showing ferromagnetic-like hysteresis and an unusually high coercive field of 23 kOe at 2 K. Zero-field μSR measurements detect static and spatially disordered internal fields below TM≃ 12 K, consistent with a canted antiferromagnetic ground state determined by detailed DFT and force-theorem in Hubbard-I calculations. The reduced high-temperature effective moment (∼0.76µB) and very small static moment (≲0.2µB) derived from μSR analysis and local-field simulations indicate a decisive role of spin-orbit coupling. Through a combined experimental and computational approach we unambiguously determine the canted antiferromagnetic order in Sr2ZnReO6, showing that a very small ordered moment coexists with an exceptionally large coercivity. These results underscore the crucial role of spin-orbit coupling and orbital ordering, providing new insights into magnetism in 5d1 double perovskites.

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Phys. Rev. B 113, 104431– Published 16 March, 2026
  • Received 4 September 2025
  • Revised 30 December 2025
  • Accepted 3 February 2026
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