Spin-Glass-Like Freezing Behavior and Magnetic Anisotropy in GdVO₄ Single Crystal

The systematic magnetic properties in the zircon-type GdVO₄ single crystal are reported herein. Antiferromagnetic (AFM)-ordered GdVO₄ single crystal presents an upturn below 150 K in the H/M curves. With the decreasing of the field, the upturn behavior enhances which is probably due to spin-glass-like behavior that exists in this system. The short-range order related spin-glass-like feature is also observed in the time-dependent magnetization relaxation. Furthermore, the M (T) and M (H) curves of the single crystal reveal an anisotropic character with two different spin-flop transitions along the c axis (1 T) and the a, b axes (1.7 T). Combining the high-frequency electron spin resonance (ESR) measurement and the structure analysis, the main cause of the magnetic anisotropy can be explained as the contribution of the exchange coupling anisotropy due to the asymmetrical environment of the Gd³⁺ ions.