Possibility of an unconventional spin state of Ir4+ in Ba21Ir9O43 single crystal

We report the synthesis of single crystals of a novel layered iridate Ba21Ir9O43 and present the crystallographic, transport, and magnetic properties of this material. The compound has a hexagonal structure with two iridium oxide layers stacked along the c direction. One layer consists of a triangular arrangement of Ir2O9 dimers while the other layer comprises two regular octahedra and one triangular pyramid, forming interpenetrated triangular lattices. The resistivity as a function of temperature exhibits an insulating behavior, with a peculiar T-3 behavior. Magnetic susceptibility shows antiferromagnetic Curie-Weiss behavior with Theta(CW) similar or equal to -90 K while a magnetic transition occurs at a substantially lower temperature of 9 K. We discuss possible valence states and effective magnetic moments on Ir ions in different local environments and argue that the Ir ions in a unique triangular-pyramidal configuration likely carry unusually large magnetic moments.