Honeycomb-Structure RuI<sub>3</sub> , A New Quantum Material Related to α-RuCl<sub>3</sub>.

Ni, Danrui; Gui, Xin; Powderly, Kelly M; Cava, Robert J · Adv Mater · 2022

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

The layered honeycomb lattice material α-RuCl<sub>3</sub> has emerged as a prime candidate for displaying the Kitaev quantum spin liquid state, and as such has attracted much research interest. Here a new layered honeycomb lattice polymorph of RuI<sub>3</sub> , a material that is strongly chemically and structurally related to α-RuCl<sub>3</sub> is described<sub>.</sub> The material is synthesized at moderately elevated pressures and is stable under ambient conditions. Preliminary characterization reveals that it is a metallic conductor, with the absence of long-range magnetic order down to 0.35 K and an unusually large T-linear contribution to the heat capacity. It is proposed that this phase, with a layered honeycomb lattice and strong spin-orbit coupling, provides a new route for the characterization of quantum materials.