EPR study of disorder processes in the ternary vanadate Zn2FeV3O11−x compound

Two samples of the Zn2FeV3O11 compound were synthesized using different preparation routes: a solid state reaction of the ZnO–Fe2O3–V2O5 oxides and a direct reaction of the Zn2V2O7 and FeVO4 vanadates. In both cases the temperature dependences of the EPR spectra revealed a dominant contribution of antiferromagnetically coupled Fe3+ ions in the high-spin state. Specific differences in the EPR spectra of the two samples were recorded at all the investigated temperature intervals. A short range, or less likely, partial magnetic order involving a fraction of the Fe3+ distributed on the two octahedral crystallographic sites appeared to take place below 50 K. The differences observed between the EPR spectra of the two Zn2FeV3O11 samples might suggest the existence of small variations in the cation disorder phenomena of Fe3+ and Zn2+ ions or the presence of an oxygen deficiency process.