Crystal structure and magnetic properties of the layered van der Waals compound VB r3

Single crystals of the layered, van der Waals compound VBr3 were synthesized by a vapor transport technique, and characterized by single-crystal x-ray diffraction, temperature- and field-dependent magnetization, and temperature-dependent specific-heat measurements. VBr3 has a honeycomb-based BiI3-type structure with space group R-3 (no. 148) at 100 K, analogous to the structure of other honeycomb trihalides. Structural stacking faults were observed as evidenced by the streaking of reflections along c∗ in the diffraction data. VBr3 goes through a structural phase transition at 90.4 K and a subsequent antiferromagnetic phase transition at 26.5 K, below which the magnetic moments are primarily aligned along the c axis.