Magnetic skyrmions, which are topologically distinct magnetic spin textures, are gaining increased attention for their unique physical properties and potential applications in spintronic devices. Here we present a design strategy for skyrmion host candidates based on combinations of magnetic spin, asymmetric building units having stereoactive lone-pair electrons, and polar lattice symmetry. To demonstrate the viability of the proposed rational design principles, we successfully synthesized a Fe­(IO3)3 polycrystalline sample and single crystals by using a new simplified low-temperature pathway, which is experimentally feasible for extending materials growth of transition metal iodates. Single crystal X-ray and powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements demonstrated that Fe­(IO3)3 crystallizes in the polar chiral hexagonal lattice with space group P63. The combined structural features of the macroscopic electric polarization along the c-axis stemming from the coalignment of the stereoactive lone-pairs of the IO3 – trigonal pyramid and the magnetic Fe3+ cation residing on the 3-fold rotation axis were selected to promote asymmetric exchange coupling. We find evidence of a predicted skyrmion phase at 14 K ≤ T ≤ 16 K and 2.5 T ≤ μ0 H ≤ 3.2 T driven by a Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interaction, a conclusion supported by the appreciable DM exchange and the zero-field spiral antiferromagnetic ground state of Fe­(IO3)3 deduced from neutron diffraction experiments. The associated magnetic modulation wavelength of the putative skyrmions is expected to be short ∼18 nm, comparable to the period of the DM-driven incommensurate order. This work links stereoactive lone-pair electron effects to enhanced DM interaction, demonstrating a new approach for chemical guidelines in the search for skyrmionic states of matter.

Soils consist of various components that can influence significantly heavy metal control in the environment. Understanding the adsorption characteristic of soil is important in combating pollution problems around farming areas. This work explored the sorption characteristics and retention of Pb and Cd by soils from Isu Aniocha farming area in Anambra state, Nigeria. The influence of temperature, metal concentration, pH and time on the sequestration of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ was evaluated by batch sorption technique. Physicochemical properties of the soil were determined by standard techniques. Isotherm evaluation was performed by the Langmuir, Tempkin and Freundlich models. Pb (II) ion showed higher adsorption characteristics on the soil than Cd (II) from the maximum uptake capacity obtained. The maximum adsorption values for Pb range from 38.46 to 47.62 mg/g, while that for Cd range from 30.30 to 41.46 mg/g. Kinetic evaluation was conducted by the application of the pseudo first order, pseudo second order and intraparticle diffusion rate equations. The best fit on metal removal on the soils was achieved with the pseudo-second order model. The results showed that soils from a farming area can be effective in decreasing heavy metals pollution, especially Pb and Cd ions from solution phase.

, crystal structure, computational analysis and biological properties of 1-(4-chlorobenzoyl)-3-[2-(2-{2-[3-(4-chlorobenzoyl)-thioureido]-ethoxy}ethoxy)ethyl]thiourea and its Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes

Polar magnetic materials exhibiting appreciable asymmetric exchange interactions can potentially host new topological states of matter such as vortex-like spin textures; however, realizations have been mostly limited to half-integer spins due to rare numbers of integer spin systems with broken spatial inversion lattice symmetries. Here, we studied the structure and magnetic properties of the S = 1 integer spin polar magnet β-Ni(IO3)2 (Ni2+, d8, 3F). We synthesized single crystals and bulk polycrystalline samples of β-Ni(IO3)2 by combining low-temperature chemistry techniques and thermal analysis and characterized its crystal structure and physical properties. Single crystal X-ray and powder X-ray diffraction measurements demonstrated that β-Ni(IO3)2 crystallizes in the noncentrosymmetric polar monoclinic structure with space group P21. The combination of the macroscopic electric polarization driven by the coalignment of the (IO3)− trigonal pyramids along the b axis and the S = 1 state of the Ni2+ cation was chosen to investigate integer spin and lattice dynamics in magnetism. The effective magnetic moment of Ni2+ was extracted from magnetization measurements to be 3.2(1) µB, confirming the S = 1 integer spin state of Ni2+ with some orbital contribution. β-Ni(IO3)2 undergoes a magnetic ordering at T = 3 K at a low magnetic field, μ0H = 0.1 T; the phase transition, nevertheless, is suppressed at a higher field, μ0H = 3 T. An anomaly resembling a phase transition is observed at T ≈ 2.7 K in the Cp/T vs. T plot, which is the approximate temperature of the magnetic phase transition of the material, indicating that the transition is magnetically driven. This work offers a useful route for exploring integer spin noncentrosymmetric materials, broadening the phase space of polar magnet candidates, which can harbor new topological spin physics.

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Magnetic polar materials feature an astonishing range of physical properties, such as magnetoelectric coupling, chiral spin textures, and related new spin topology physics. This is primarily attributable to their lack of space inversion symmetry in conjunction with unpaired electrons, potentially facilitating an asymmetric Dzyaloshinskii−Moriya (DM) exchange interaction supported by spin−orbital and electron−lattice coupling. However, engineering the appropriate ensemble of coupled degrees of freedom necessary for enhanced DM exchange has remained elusive for polar magnets. Here, we study how spin and orbital components influence the capability of promoting the magnetic interaction by studying two magnetic polar materials, α-Cu(IO 3 ) 2 ( 2 D) and Mn(IO 3 ) 2 ( 6 S), and connecting their electronic and magnetic properties with their structures. The chemically controlled low-temperature synthesis of these complexes resulted in pure polycrystalline samples, providing a viable pathway to prepare bulk forms of transition-metal iodates. Rietveld refinements of the powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction data reveal that these materials exhibit different crystal structures but crystallize in the same polar and chiral P2 1 space group, giving rise to an electric polarization along the b-axis direction. The presence and absence of an evident phase transition to a possible topologically distinct state observed in α-Cu(IO 3 ) 2 and Mn(IO 3 ) 2 , respectively, imply the important role of spin−orbit coupling. Neutron diffraction experiments reveal helpful insights into the magnetic ground state of these materials. While the long-wavelength incommensurability of α-Cu(IO 3 ) 2 is in harmony with sizable asymmetric DM interaction and low dimensionality of the electronic structure, the commensurate stripe AFM ground state of Mn(IO 3 ) 2 is attributed to negligible DM exchange and isotropic orbital overlapping. The work demonstrates connections between combined spin and orbital effects, magnetic coupling dimensionality, and DM exchange, providing a worthwhile approach for tuning asymmetric interaction, which promotes evolution of topologically distinct spin phases.