Single-crystal variable temperature EPR study of Cr3+ in zinc maleate tetrahydrate

X-band (9.60 GHz) EPR measurements were carried out on a single-crystal of Cr3+ -doped zinc maleate tetrahydrate at room, liquid-nitrogen, and liquid helium temperatures for various orientations of the external magnetic field in three mutually perpendicular planes. The values of the spin-Hamiltonian parameters were estimated using a rigorous least-squares fitting procedure . The absolute sign of the zero-field splitting parameter, b(2)(0) was dete rmined to be negative from liquid-helium temperature data, and its value wa s found to be unusually large (similar to 15 GHz). (C) 2000 Elsevier Scienc e B.V. All rights reserved.