Single-Crystal Growth of the Low-Dimensional Antiferromagnet NiTa$_2$O$_6$*

Single crystals of the low-dimensional antiferromagnet NiTa$_2$O$_6$ were prepared via the floating zone method and chemical vapor transport with TeCl$_4$ as the transport agent. X-ray powder diffraction was used to verify the sample purity and the single crystals were oriented using Laue diffraction. The results of magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and thermal expansion measurements will be presented.