Crystal refinement and magnetic structure of KNi4(PO4)3: a novel example of three interacting magnetic sub-lattices.

KNi(4)(PO(4))(3) has been synthesised following a method previously reported by some of us and studied on the basis of magnetization and neutron powder diffraction (NPD) data. Magnetization measurements suggest the coexistence of ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions: magnetization versus magnetic field curves present a remanent magnetization of around 2.15 micro(B) at T=2 K. The magnetic structure of the KNi(4)(PO(4))(3) has been determined at low temperature from the NPD data. These measurements show that there are three magnetic sub-lattices of Ni(2+) ions, which interact through common oxygen or phosphate groups, giving rise to FM and AFM couplings. The resulting interactions are FM in nature. Such a complex behaviour could provide an interesting model to analyse magnetic interactions in more condensed systems, such in mixed metal oxides.