Neutron Powder Diffraction study of the Magnetic Ionic Liquid Emim[FeCL4] and its deuterated phase

A magnetic ionic liquid comprising 1-ethyl-3 methylimidazolium (Emim) cations and tetraclhoroferrate(III) (FeCl4) anions and its deuterated phase were synthetized and characterized magnetically. In both materials, the low temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility presents a maximum (around 4 K) related to an antiferromagnetic ordering, but the ordering temperatures are slightly shifted and the curves display different shapes. In addition, the magnetization of the deuterated phase tends to saturate at higher values than that corresponding to the non-deuterated analogue. A comparison of the neutron diffraction patterns above and below the magnetic transition clearly shows that the crystal and magnetic structures of these materials are different. Therefore, the present findings clearly prove that the magnetic exchange interactions that induce three-dimensional magnetic ordering are modified after the deuteration process.