Single crystal synthesis and physical properties of a Shastry-Sutherland compound, BaPr₂ZnS₅

In this talk, we present our work on a high-purity, single-crystalline BaPr₂ZnS₅ where Pr atoms form a two-dimensional Shastry-Sutherland (SS) lattice. The SS lattice is a classical geometrically frustrated lattice type featuring a competition between nearest neighbor and next nearest neighbor interactions. Crystal synthesis procedure, CEF modelling, and detailed physical property characterizations via x-ray diffraction, magnetization, and heat capacity measurements will be presented. We find the Pr magnetic moments to align primarily in the ab-plane with weak in-plane anisotropy. BaPr₂ZnS₅ does not exhibit long range magnetic ordering down to 1.8 K, and we do not see any metamagnetic transitions up to 9 T. Comparison to the magnetic properties of other rare earth members in this family of compounds such as BaNd₂ZnS₅ and BaCe₂ZnS₅will also be discussed.