Crystal growth and characterization of the dilutable frustrated spin-ladder compound Bi(Cu1-xZnx)(2)PO6

High quality centimeter size single crystals of Bi(Cu1-xZnx)(2)PO6 (x=0% 1% 5%) have been successfully grown by the Travelling Solvent Floating Zone (TSFZ) technique The crystals were grown with a rate of 1 mm/h in a gas mixture of 20% O-2 in Ar Characterization of the single crystal samples by means of optical microscopy X-ray powder diffraction X-ray Laue diffraction neutron diffraction and magnetization measurement are reported The magnetic susceptibility lambda(spin)(T) measured from 2 to 300 K passes a broad maximum around 60 K followed by an exponential decrease towards lower T and confirm the formation of a spin singlet ground state at low temperature At low-temperature a paramagnetic Curie-like upturn quantitatively reflect the increasing Zn-doping level (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved