Ferrimagnetic transition in Fe0.9S: Magnetic,thermodynamic and kinetic aspects

Antiferromagnetic Fe_0.9S forms a ferrimagnetic superlattice in a narrow temperature range centred at 475 K (γ-transition). We have made a study in single crystals by specific heat, Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility of the magnetic structure and kinetics and thermodynamics of formation of the ferrimagnetic component.The antiferromagnetic alignment and the spontaneous moment lie in the c-plane. The magnetic anisotropy energy is of the order of 0.4 K per Fe ion. Above 475 K and below T_N ≈ 598 K there is a change in ordering of the vacancies and a new antiferromagnetic structure is formed. At lower temperatures our value (100 kJ mol^?1) of the activation energy of diffusion of iron vacancies, determined from magnetic susceptibility, is in quite good agreement with the value (88 kJ mol^?1) obtained from radiotracer measurements by Condit et al.