Single-crystal growth, structural characterization, and physical properties of a decorated square-kagome antiferromagnet
Phys. Rev. B 113, 134447 – Published 30 April, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/zr7m-l3dk
Abstract
The square-kagome lattice (SKL) antiferromagnet, composed of two-dimensional corner-sharing triangles, provides a prominent platform for studying frustrated magnetism. However, material realizations of the SKL remain scarce. Here, we report the single-crystal growth, structural characterization, magnetic and electric properties of , a nabokoite compound featuring a distorted and decorated SKL. Weak anomalies at temperature near 4 K are observed in both the magnetization and the specific heat data, indicating the onset of a magnetic transition. The observation of the nuclear magnetic resonance line splits below 4.5 K further confirms the formation of the long-range-order antiferromagnetism. Magnetic susceptibility data reveal nearly isotropic Curie-Weiss temperatures () and factors () for both in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic fields. Moreover, we observe two successive ferroelectric transitions at and , driven by inversion symmetry breaking, most likely associated with distortions in the pyramids and the adjacent tetrahedra. These results suggest that a three-dimensional model incorporating interlayer couplings via decorating Cu2 sites is essential for capturing the magnetic and electric behaviors in .