Novel compounds Bi2Ni(SeO3)4 and Bi2Ni(SeO3)4·2H2O with cubic-like magnetic lattice and intriguing magnetic behavior

The two new compounds with cubic-like magnetic lattice exhibit magnetic frustration. [Display omitted] •Two novel compounds Bi2Ni(SeO3)4 and Bi2Ni(SeO3)4·2H2O were synthesized.•The magnetic ions in both Bi2Ni(SeO3)4 and Bi2Ni(SeO3)4·2H2O are arranged in a cubic-like mode.•Both compounds exhibit magnetic frustration.•Bi2Ni(SeO3)4 is not magnetically ordered down to the 2 K despite of Weiss temperature of −21 K. Two novel compounds Bi2Ni(SeO3)4 and Bi2Ni(SeO3)4·2H2O were synthesized by hydrothermal method and their crystal structures were solved via single crystal diffraction. The magnetic Ni2+ ions are arranged in a cubic-like mode, while both Bi2Ni(SeO3)4 and Bi2Ni(SeO3)4·2H2O exhibit magnetic frustration. Notably, the magnetic measurement shows that Bi2Ni(SeO3)4 has a Weiss temperature of −21 K but does not exhibit any magnetic ordering down to 2 K. This study provides a scheme for realizing magnetic frustration with compounds of cubic-like magnetic lattice. In the future, it is intriguing to uncover the ground magnetic state of Bi2Ni(SeO3)4.