Magnetic and Transport Properties of Ternary Chalcogenides, BaMS3 (M=V, Nb, Ti)

BaVS3 is known to a metal-to-semiconductor transition and a para-to-antiferromagnetic transition around 70 K. Upon substituting a small amount (5%) of Ti or Nb for V in BaVS3, the electrical conduction above 70 K became semiconductive, and the magnetism became paramagnetic throughout the temperature range of 4.2 K to 300 K. BaNb1-xTixS3 (0.0≦x≦1.0) were found to be thermal-activation-type semidocnductive and weakly diamagnetic below 300 K. These phenomena were thought to be caused by the formation of Nb–Nb dimers.