Embedding S = 1/2 Kagome-like Lattice in Reduced Graphene Oxide

• Published in: The journal of physical chemistry letters 2019-06, Vol.10 (11), p.2663-2668
• Main Authors: Gupta, Kriti, Jha, Plawan Kumar, Dadwal, Arun, Debnath, Anil K, Jaiswal, Ishan, Rana, Shammi, Joy, Pattayil A, Ballav, Nirmalya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1948-7185; 1948-7185
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b00839

An elegant platform to explore frustrated magnetism is the kagome spin lattice. In this work, clinoatacamite, a naturally occurring S = 1/2 kagome-like antiferromagnetic insulator, is synthesized in water at ambient pressure for the first time from a cuprous chloride (CuCl) precursor whereby Cu­(I) was spontaneously oxidized to Cu­(II) in the form of clinoatacamite [Cu2(OH)3Cl] with a simultaneous reduction of graphene oxide (GO) to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in one pot. A stable nanocomposite of phase-pure clinoatacamite nanocrystals embedded in the rGO matrix was isolated. The clinoatacamite–rGO nanocomposite was determined to be magnetically active with a markedly enhanced coercive field of ∼2500 Oe at 5 K as well as electronically active with a conductivity value of ∼200 S·m–1 at 300 K. Our results illustrate an avenue of combining exotic magnetic and electronic lattices without impeding their individual characteristics and synergistically generating a new class of magnetic semiconductors.