Unexpected observation of splitting of skyrmion phase in Zn doped Cu2OSeO3

Polycrystalline (Cu1-xZnx)2OSeO3 (0≤x≤0.2) samples were synthesized using solid-state reaction and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of Zn doping upon saturation magnetization (MS) indicates that the Zn favors to occupying Cu(II) square pyramidal crystallographic site. The AC susceptibility (χ'ac) was measured at various temperatures (χ'ac-T) and magnetic field strengths (χ'ac-H). The Zn doping concentration is found to affect greatly the M-T and χ'ac-T. The skyrmion phase has been inferred from the χ'ac-H data, and then indicated within the H-T phase diagrams for various Zn doping concentrations. The striking and unexpected observation is that the skyrmion phase region becomes split upon Zn doping concentration. Interestingly, second conical boundary accompanied by second skyrmion phase was also observed from dχ'ac/dH vs. H curves. Atomic site disorder created by the chemical doping modulates the delicate magnetic interactions via change in the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) vector of distorted Cu(II) square pyramidal, thereby splitting of skyrmion phase might occur. These findings illustrate the potential of using chemical and atomic modification for tuning the temperature and field dependence of skyrmion phase of Cu2OSeO3.