Authors: Danrui Ni, Xin Gui, Kelly M. Powderly, Robert J. Cava
Published: 2021-11-29
Source: Full article
AbstractThe layered honeycomb lattice material α‐RuCl3 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 RuI3, a material that is strongly chemically and structurally related to α‐RuCl3 is described. 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.