In ferromagnetic CdCr2Se4
diluted with Mex3+ = In
and Sb, deviations from cubic symmetry appear in the paramagnetic phase just below room temperature, and they increase with
decreasing temperature. For Sb admixture, the unit-cell anomalies indicate a structural
phase transition to occur at the same temperature as the magnetic transition,
Tc = 130 K, which also is
the same Tc as for
the parent crystal CdCr2Se4. The low temperature phase has been described in orthorhombic space group
Fddd. For In admixture, a structural transition occurs in the paramagnetic state at about
Ta≈200 K (which is
higher than Tc = 125 K), to a tetragonal structure with space group
I41/amd. This behaviour is attributed to macroscopic spontaneous strain due to chemical heterogeneities,
and to spin frustrations due to mixed valencies of Cr. The paramagnetic Curie–Weiss temperature
θC−W
decreases for both admixtures, indicating changes in competing ferromagnetic and
antiferromagnetic interactions. The magnetization at 2.1 K exhibits saturation for
H>0.6 T. The magnetic
moments are μsat = 6.26 and 5.47 μB mol−1
for Sb and In admixtures, respectively. These values are consistent with the
Cr3+
and Cr2+
mixed valencies, and with the proposed cation distribution model. A spin–phonon coupling
of the transitions in the crystal with Sb admixture is suggested, while such a
correspondence is not clear for the In admixture.