Magnetization reversal tuning in honeycomb ferrimagnet Ni4Nb2O9

Ni4Nb2O9 displays magnetization reversal, a particular behavior in which magnetization opposes an applied magnetic field. Previous studies have shown that this is caused by the antiferromagnetic coupling of two different layers of ferromagnetic Ni cations. In this work, magnetization reversal is controlled by the substitution of Ni by non-magnetic Zn. Ni4−xZnxNb2O9 materials with x = 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75 maintain the orthorhombic Ni4Nb2O9-type structure but display counterintuitive changes in the magnetic properties including increases in low-temperature net magnetizations, remnant magnetizations, and compensation temperatures. Furthermore, the magnetization reversal is significantly enhanced for x = 0.50 while supressed for x = 0.75, underscoring the strong effects of Zn substitution.