Crystal Structures and Property Measurements of Rare Earth Magnesium Thiosilicates Synthesized via Flux Crystal...

Nine new rare earth magnesium-containing thiosilicates of the formula RE₃Mg_0.5SiS₇ (Ln = Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er) were synthesized in an alkali halide flux using the boron chalcogen mixture (BCM) method. Crystals of high quality were produced, and their structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compounds crystallize in the hexagonal crystal system in the P6₃ space group. Phase pure powders of the compounds were used for magnetic susceptibility measurements and for second-harmonic generation (SHG) measurements. Magnetic measurements indicate that Ce₃Mg_0.5SiS₇, Sm₃Mg_0.5SiS₇, and Dy₃Mg_0.5SiS₇ exhibit paramagnetic behavior with a negative Weiss temperature over the 2-300 K temperature range. SHG measurements of La₃Mg_0.5SiS₇ demonstrated SHG activity with an efficiency of 0.16 times the standard potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP).