YbV₃Sb₄ and EuV₃Sb₄ vanadium-based kagome metals with Yb²⁺ and Eu²⁺ zigzag chains

Here we present YbV3Sb4 and EuV3Sb4, two compounds exhibiting slightly distorted vanadium-based kagome nets interleaved with zigzag chains of divalent Yb2+ and Eu2+ ions. Single crystal growth methods are reported alongside magnetic, electronic, and heat capacity measurements. YbV3Sb4 is a nonmagnetic metal with no collective phase transitions observed between 60 mK and 300 K. Conversely, EuV3Sb4 is a magnetic kagome metal exhibiting easy-plane ferromagneticlike order below Tc = 32 K with hints of modulated spin texture under low field. With YbV3Sb4 and EuV3Sb4 we demonstrate another direction for the discovery and development of vanadium-based kagome metals while incorporating the chemical and magnetic degrees of freedom offered by a rare-earth sublattice.