Critical behavior of KDCO3 from 2H and 39K single crystal NMR

Potassium hydrogenocarbonate KDCO3 presents an order/disorder phase transition at Tc approximately 353 K. The critical behavior of this phase transition was studied by single crystal 2H and 39K NMR. The evolution of the order parameter as a function of temperature is quantified, and the critical exponent was determined, indicating a transition close to a tricritical point. The 2H Zeeman relaxation rate is strongly increased near the transition temperature. By calculating the noncritical contribution to the Zeeman relaxation rate, we show that the observed relaxation rate clearly presents a pseudo-divergent behavior near Tc, with a logarithmic singularity. The nature of the phase transition is discussed in the light of these results.