Magnetism of Kitaev spin-liquid candidate material RuBr$_3$

The ruthenium halide $alpha$-RuCl$_{3}$ is a promising candidate for a Kitaev spin liquid. However, the microscopic model describing $alpha$-RuCl$_{3}$ is still debated partly because of a lack of analogue materials for $alpha$-RuCl$_{3}$, which prevents tracking of electronic properties as functions of controlled interaction parameters. Here, we report a successful synthesis of RuBr$_{3}$. The material RuBr$_{3}$~possesses BiI$_3$-type structure (space group: $Roverline{3}$) where Ru$^{3+}$ form an ideal honeycomb lattice. Although RuBr$_{3}$ has a negative Weiss temperature, it undergoes a zigzag antiferromagnetic transition at $T_mathrm{N}=34$ K, as does $alpha$-RuCl$_{3}$. Our analyses indicate that the Kitaev and non-Kitaev interactions can be modified in ruthenium trihalides by changing the ligand sites, which provides a new platform for exploring Kitaev spin liquids.