Nanoscale ice-type structural fluctuation in spinel titanates

鳥越 秀平*; 服部 崇幸*; 樹神 克明; 本田 孝志*; 佐賀山 基*; 池田 一貴*; 大友 季哉*; 仁谷 浩明*; 阿部 仁*; 村川 寛*; et al.

Physical Review B, 98(13), p.134443_1 - 134443_7, 2018/10

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.98.134443

In the spinel titanate MgTiO, the tetragonal phase collapses upon substitution of a tiny amount of Mg ion at the Ti site, and the cubic phase with the geometrical frustration is resurrected. The atomic pair distribution function (PDF) and the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) reveal the nanoscale structural fluctuation, in which the Ti atomic displacement has the two-in two-out configuration in the cubic phase. We argue that the geometrical frustration plays an essential role in the collapse of the tetragonal phase and the resultant nanoscale ice-type structural fluctuation.