Effects of vanadium doping on BaFe₂As₂

We report an investigation of the structural, magnetic and electronic properties of Ba(Fe_1-xV_x)₂As₂ using x-ray, transport, magnetic susceptibility and neutron scattering measurements. The vanadium substitutions in Fe sites are possible up to ∼40%. Hall effect measurements indicate strong hole-doping effect through V doping, while no superconductivity is observed in all samples down to 2 K. The antiferromagnetic and structural transition temperature of BaFe₂As₂ is gradually suppressed to finite temperature, then vanishes at with the emergence of spin glass behavior, suggesting an avoided quantum critical point (QCP). Our results demonstrate that the avoided QCP and spin glass state which were previously reported in the superconducting phase of Co/Ni-doped BaFe ₂ As ₂ can also be realized in non-superconducting (Fe_1-xV_x)₂As_2.