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We present an extensive study of the oxyborate material Co 5 Ti͑O 2 BO 3 ͒ 2 using x-ray, magnetic, and thermodynamic measurements. This material belongs to a family of oxyborates known as ludwigites which presents low-dimensional subunits in the form of three leg ladders in its structure. Differently from previously investigated ludwigites the present material does not show long-range magnetic order although it goes into a spin-glass state at low temperatures. The different techniques employed in this paper allow for a characterization of the structure, the nature of the low-energy excitations and the magnetic anisotropy of this system. Its unique magnetic behavior is discussed and compared with those of other magnetic ludwigites.

Among double perovskites, the interpretation of the magnetic, thermal and transport properties of Sr(2)YRuO(6) remains a challenge. Characterization using different techniques reveals a variety of features that are not understood, described as anomalous, and yields contradictory values for several relevant parameters. We solved this situation through detailed susceptibility, specific heat, thermal expansion and x-ray diffraction measurements, including a quantitative correlation of the parameters characterizing the so-called anomalies. The emergence of short-range magnetic correlations, surviving well above the long-range transition, naturally accounts for the observed unconventional behavior of this compound. High resolution x-ray powder diffraction and thermal expansion results conclusively show that the magnetic and thermal responses are driven by lattice changes, providing a comprehensive scenario in which the interplay between the spin and structural degrees of freedom plays a relevant role.

Nd2Fe14B-type materials exhibit the highest energy product around room temperature and hence dominate the high-performance permanent magnet market. Intensive research efforts aim at alternative material systems containing less critical elements with similar or better magnetic properties. Nd-and Sm-based compounds with a ThMn12-type structure exhibit intrinsic properties comparable or even superior to Nd2Fe14B. However, it has not been possible to achieve technically relevant coercivity and remanent magnetization in ThMn12-based bulk sintered magnets. Using SmFe11Ti as a prototypical representative, we demonstrate that one important reason for the poor performance is the formation of twins inside micro-crystalline grains. The nature of the twins in SmFe11Ti was investigated in twinned "single crystals" and both bulk and thin film poly-crystalline samples, using advanced electron microscopy and atom probe tomography as well as simulations and compared with benchmark Nd2Fe14B. Both micro-twins and nano-twins show a twin orientation of 57±2 • and an enrichment in Sm, which could affect domain wall motion in this 2 material. Micromagnetic simulations indicate that twins act as nucleation centers, representing the magnetically weakest link in the microstructure. The relation between twin formation energies and geometrical features are briefly discussed using molecular dynamic simulations.