Hydrated lithium intercalation into the Kitaev spin liquid candidate material $alpha-$RuCl$_3$


Abstract in English

We study on transport and magnetic properties of hydrated and lithium-intercalated $alpha$-RuCl$_3$, Li$_x$RuCl$_3 cdot y$H$_2$O, for investigating the effect on mobile-carrier doping into candidate materials for a realization of a Kitaev model. From thermogravitometoric and one-dimensional electron map analyses, we find two crystal structures of this system, that is, mono-layer hydrated Li$_x$RuCl$_3 cdot y$H$_2$O~$(xapprox0.56, yapprox1.3)$ and bi-layer hydrated Li$_x$RuCl$_3 cdot y$H$_2$O~$(xapprox0.56, yapprox3.9)$. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity shows a temperature hysteresis at 200-270 K, which is considered to relate with a formation of a charge order. The antiferromagnetic order at 7-13 K in pristine $alpha$-RuCl$_3$~ is successfully suppressed down to 2 K in bi-layer hydrated Li$_x$RuCl$_3 cdot y$H$_2$O, which is sensitive to not only an electronic state of Ru but also an interlayer distance between Ru-Cl planes.

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