Origin of skyrmion lattice phase splitting in Zn-substituted Cu2OSeO3.

We present an investigation into the structural and magnetic properties of Zn-substituted Cu2OSeO3, a system in which the skyrmion lattice (SkL) phase in the magnetic field–temperature phase diagram was previously seen to split as a function of increasing Zn concentration. We find that splitting of the SkL is only observed in polycrystalline samples and reflects the occurrence of several coexisting phases with different Zn content, each distinguished by different magnetic behavior. No such multiphase behavior is observed in single-crystal samples.