Pyrochlore titanates <i>RE</i>Ti₂O₇ (<i>RE</i> = Ho &amp; Er): Stoichiometry and Crystal Growth

The pyrochlore cubic structure, with a corner sharing tetrahedra network, is the host for candidates of frustrated magnetic materials such as spin ices, spin liquids, and compounds with non-colinear XY orders [1–3]. Pyrochlore titanates, as a subgroup of the pyrochlore family, have been extensively studied; however, the reported physical properties have been shown to significantly vary from one sample to another. Here, we report a systematic study of synthesis and crystal growth by the float-zoning techniques. Structural quality, lattice parameters, stuffing defects and oxygen vacancies were found to depend on synthesis and growth conditions. A method to grow stoichiometric and high-quality single crystals of titanates is also reported [4].