2022/01/16 by Faranak Bahrami, Bahrami, Faranak, Mykola Abramchuk +5
Decision Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Condensed Matter Physics #FOS: Physical sciences #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Personal Information Management and User Behavior #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2201.06085
openalex publication_date 2022/01/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Nearly two decades ago, Alexei Kitaev proposed a model for spin-1/2 particles with bond-directional interactions on a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice which had the potential to host a quantum spin-liquid ground state. This work initiated numerous investigations to design and synthesize materials that would physically realize the Kitaev Hamiltonian. The first-generation of such materials, such as Na2IrO3, α-Li2IrO3, and α-RuCl3, revealed the presence of non-Kitaev interactions such as the Heisenberg and off-diagonal exchange. Both physical pressure and chemical doping were used to tune the relative strength of the Kitaev and competing interactions; however, little progress was made towards achieving a purely Kitaev system. Here, we review the recent breakthrough in modifying Kitaev magnets via topochemical methods that has led to the second-generation of Kitaev materials. We show how structural modifications due to the topotactic exchange reactions can alter the magnetic interactions in favor of a quantum spin-liquid phase.