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The synthesis, structure and elementary magnetic characterization of the homometallic warwickite V2OBO3 are reported. The material adopts the orthorhombic warwickite structure type at room temperature, space group Pnma (No. 62) with lattice parameters a = 9.2317(1) A, b = 3.1172(1) A, and c = 9.5313(1) A. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and specific heat measurements show anomalies near 35 K, between 135 K and 150 K, and near 260 K, with the transition at ~ 35 K likely to a ferrimagnetic state. High resolution synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data at temperatures between 295 K and 90 K display significant peak splitting upon cooling, indicating that at least one crystallographic symmetry change occurs at low temperatures.

The crystal structure and elementary properties of La15NbxGe9 are reported. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction, from a crystallite with only 0.12 Nb/formula unit, reveals that this compound, although transition metal deficient, crystallizes in a hexagonal “15-1-9”-like structure type, space group P63mc (no. 186) with lattice parameters a = b = 15.5017(2) A, c = 6.9173(2) A. The physical properties were examined by specific heat and resistivity measurements. La15Nb0.4Ge9 shows metallic behavior, and no superconductivity is observed above 0.4 K. The Sommerfeld coefficient (γ = 62.41(8) mJ mol−1 K−2) and the Debye temperature ( θ D = 267(1) K) were estimated from a fit to the low temperature heat capacity data. La15Nb0.4Ge9 is the first reported compound in the ternary La-Nb-Ge system.

The crystallographic, electronic transport and thermal properties of Ca 2 PdGe 3 and Ca 2 PtGe 3 are reported. The compounds crystalize in an ordered variant of the AlB 2 crystal structure, in space group P 6/mmm , with the lattice parameters a = 8.4876(4) A/8.4503(5) A and c = 4.1911(3) A/4.2302(3) A for Ca 2 PdGe 3 and Ca 2 PtGe 3 , respectively. The resistivity data exhibit metallic behavior with residual-resistivity-ratios (RRR) of 13 for Ca 2 PdGe 3 and 6.5 for Ca 2 PtGe 3 . No superconducting transition is observed down to 0.4 K. Specific heat studies reveal similar values of the Debye temperatures and Sommerfeld coefficients: Θ D = 298 K, γ = 4.1 mJ mol − 1 K − 2 and Θ D = 305 K, γ = 3.2 mJ mol − 1 K − 2 for Ca 2 PdGe 3 and Ca 2 PtGe 3 , respectively. The low value of γ is in agreement with the electronic structure calculations.

Single crystals of SrCo2Al and BaCo2Al9 were grown using a self-flux method. A LeBail analysis of the powder X-ray diffraction patterns show that both compounds crystallize in a hexagonal (P6/mmm) crystal structure with lattice parameters: a ​= ​7.8995(1) A, c ​= ​3.9159(1) A for SrCo2Al9, and a ​= ​7.9162(2) A, c ​= ​3.9702(1) A for BaCo2Al9 aluminide. The low temperature analysis of the heat capacity measurements give a Sommerfeld coefficient γ ​= ​4.99(6) mJ mol−1 K−2 for SrCo2Al9 and almost twice larger γ ​= ​7.94(9) mJ mol−1 K−2 for BaCo2Al9. Resistivity measurements show metallic-like behavior, with reasonably large residual resistivity ratio RRR ​= ​6 and 10 for SrCo2Al9 and BaCo2Al9, respectively. Neither heat capacity nor resistivity measurements reveal any phase transition down to 1.8 ​K.

The double perovskites La2CoVO6, La2CoTiO6, and La2NiVO6, are described. Rietveld fitting of neutron and powder X-ray diffraction data show La2NiVO6 and La2CoVO6 to have a disordered arrangement of B-cations whereas La2CoTiO6 shows ordering of the B-cations (with ∼5% Co/Ti inversion). Curie–Weiss fits to the linear region of the 1/χ plots reveal Weiss temperatures of −107, −34.8, and 16.3 K for La2CoVO6, La2CoTiO6, and La2NiVO6, respectively, and magnetic transitions are observed. La2CoTiO6 prepared by our method differs from material prepared by lower-temperature routes. A simple antiferromagnetic spin model is consistent with the data for La2CoTiO6. These compounds are semiconductors with bandgaps of 0.41 (La2CoVO6), 1.02 (La2CoTiO6) and 0.45 eV (La2NiVO6).

The synthesis, structure, and physical properties of five R-type Ru ferrites with chemical formula BaMRu5O11 (M=Li and Cu) and BaM′2Ru4O11 (M′=Mn, Fe and Co) are reported. All the ferrites crystallize in space group P63/mmc and consist of layers of edge sharing octahedra interconnected by pairs of face sharing octahedra and isolated trigonal bipyramids. For M=Li and Cu, the ferrites are paramagnetic metals with the M atoms found on the trigonal bipyramid sites exclusively. For M′=Mn, Fe and Co, the ferrites are soft ferromagnetic metals. For M′=Mn, the Mn atoms are mixed randomly with Ru atoms on different sites. The magnetic structure for BaMn2Ru4O11 is reported.