Three Dimensional Spin Web: A New Magnetic Lattice in Cu3TeO6

We report on magnetic properties of cubic compound Cu 3 TeO 6 studied by ac and dc susceptibility and neutron powder diffraction for the first time. A novel magnetic lattice, three dimensional spin web, composed of almost planar regular hexagons of Cu 2+ 1 / 2 spins, defines the properties of Cu 3 TeO 6 . The behaviour of the magnetic susceptibility in the paramagnetic state at ≈ 170 K is suggestive for a competition between local anisotropies of Cu 2+ hexagons. The resulting frustration is weaker than the antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor interaction which leads to a collinear (or slightly canted) spin arrangement (k=0,0,0) and formation of magnetic domains below T N = 61 K.