Experimental Evidences for Quantum Spin Liquid Ground State in Layered Hexagonal Y2CuTiO6

• Published in: Journal of superconductivity and novel magnetism 2023-09, Vol.36 (7-9), p.1683-1691
• Main Authors: Saha, Papiya, Nithya, R., Sathyanarayana, A. T., Kaushik, Vinay, Gururaj, K., Deshpande, U., Venkatesh, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Condensed Matter Physics; Magnetic Materials; Magnetism; Original Paper; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Strongly Correlated Systems; Superconductivity
• ISSN: 1557-1939; 1557-1947
• DOI: 10.1007/s10948-023-06611-7

Quantum spin liquid ground state has been observed in Y 2 CuTiO 6 . The compound was prepared using solid-state synthesis method. Y 2 CuTiO 6 crystallized in non-perovskite hexagonal structure with space group, P6 3 cm (#185). Ti 4+ and Cu 2+ ions are distributed randomly in the B site along the ab -plane with trigonal bipyramidal coordination of oxygen ions and separated along the c -axis by Y-O 7 layers. Ambient-temperature Raman spectra revealed vibrational modes corresponding to hexagonal structure. The Raman spectrum displayed multiple low-intensity, broad peaks that could have resulted as a consequence of charge and geometrical disorders between Cu 2+ and Ti 4+ ions on the triangular lattice. Room-temperature photoelectron spectroscopy has been performed to determine the oxidation states of the respective ions present in the titled compound. Temperature-dependent magnetic molar susceptibility plots under zero field cooled and field cooled modes are superimposed on each other without any anomalies implying the absence of long-range magnetic ordering down to 2 K. Curie-Weiss fitting of high-temperature magnetization data nevertheless estimated a significantly high temperature of − 116 K which denotes antiferromagnetic interactions. Temperature-dependent heat capacity data measured in 0.100 K