Electrical and Magnetic Studies of the $Cd_{x}Cr_{y}V_{z}Se_{4}$ Spinels

The electrical and magnetic investigations carried out on the polycrystalline spinels with the general chemical formula $Cd_{x}Cr_{y}V_{z}Se_{4}$ (where z = 0.06, 0.12, 0.24, and 0.31) revealed semiconducting and ferromagnetic properties with a Curie temperature of 127.5 K. A step-like structure of the electrical conductivity, σ(T), was observed for the polycrystal containing 6% V ions in the octahedral sites while the remaining samples showed a typical Arrhenius behaviour of σ(T). These effects are interpreted in terms of ferromagnetic spin clusters which finally dissolve on going towards the paramagnetic limit including non-stoichiometry.