EPR of Gd3+in trichloride hexahydrates of Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb, and systematics of spin Hamiltonian parameters in rare-earth trichloride hexahydrates

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Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of Gd3+ in the trichloride hexahydrates of Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Yb have been studied using an X-band spectrometer. The spectra in the first five hosts have been obtained only at room temperature due to unresolved spectra (increasing linewidths) at lower temperatures, while in YbCl3.6H2O host the spectrum is found to remain resolved down to 149K. The spin Hamiltonian parameters as well as the values of the angle chi 0, which the z axis makes with the a vector of the unit cell, have been determined from the data for the various hosts. These results are then combined with the published results of EPR of Gd3+ in NdCl3.6H2O, SmCl3.6H2O, EuCl3.6H2O, and YCl3.6H2O in order to study the systematics of the zero-field splitting parameters b20 and b22 in the rare-earth trichloride hexahydrate hosts. From the values of parameters in various hosts the values of parameters for Gd3+ in GdCl3.6H2O host have been derived by interpolation; in addition, the lanthanide character of the Y3+ ion is also verified. Explanation of the behaviour of observed linewidths in the various hosts is also provided.

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