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Magnetism in M1/3NbS2 (M=Fe, V, Mn): Insight into intercalated transition metal dichalcogenides using μSR

N. P. Bentley1, T. L. Breeze1, A. Hernández-Melián1, T. J. Hicken2, B. M. Huddart3, F. L. Pratt4, A. E. Hall5, D. A. Mayoh5, G. Balakrishnan5 et al.

S. J. Clark1 and T. Lancaster1

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Phys. Rev. B 112, 134453 – Published 29 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/njym-t72p

Abstract

We present the results of muon-spin relaxation (μSR) measurements of the static and dynamic magnetism of M1/3NbS2 (M=Fe, V, Mn), three intercalated transition-metal dichalcogenides. Transitions to long-range magnetic order are observed in all three materials, and local magnetic fields at muon sites are compared to dipole field calculations. Measurements on Fe1/3NbS2 capture the evolution of two coexisting magnetic phases. In V1/3NbS2, we observe a peak in the dynamic response at 9 K, coincident with previous reports of a possible low-temperature phase transition. The observation of high-frequency muon precession in Mn1/3NbS2 suggests the existence of an additional muon site that implies a difference in the electronic energy landscape compared to the other materials in the series. Taken together, this demonstrates that the change in intercalant species drives significant variations in magnetism, highlighting the M1/3NbS2 series as an ideal group of materials for investigating a wide range of magnetic phenomena.

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Phys. Rev. B 112, 134453– Published 29 October, 2025
  • Received 9 June 2025
  • Revised 29 September 2025
  • Accepted 2 October 2025
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