Unusually large magnetic anisotropy in a CuO-based semiconductor Cu ₅V₂O₁₀

A CuO-based material Cu₅V₂O₁₀ was successfully grown in a closed crucible using Sr(OH)₂·8H ₂O as flux. The structure of Cu₅V₂O ₁₀ can be viewed as being composed of two types of zigzag Cu-O chains running along the b- and c-axes, which shows a two-dimensional crosslike framework with 12-column square tunnels along the a-axis. Magnetic measurements show that Cu₅V₂O₁₀ exhibits unexpected large magnetic anisotropy, which is the first time magnetic anisotropy energy of ∼10⁷ erg/cm³ in the CuO-based materials has been observed. The origins of large anisotropy are suggested to arise from strong anisotropic exchanges due to the particular bonding geometry and the Jahn-Teller distortion of Cu²⁺ ions. Further, the band structure investigated by the GGA+U method suggests that Cu₅V₂O₁₀ is a semiconductor.