An osmium chloride with the chemical formula of OsxCl3 (x = 0.81) was synthesized and its crystal structure and thermodynamic properties were investigated. OsxCl3 crystallizes in a layered CdCl2-type structure with the triangular lattice partially occupied by Os ions on average. However, on microscopic length scales, the triangular lattice is composed of nano-domains with a honeycomb arrangement of Os ions, as observed by electron microscopy and Raman scattering experiments. Magnetization and heat capacity measurements revealed an absence of magnetic long-range order down to 0.08 K, while a broad peak in heat capacity at 0.15 K may indicate a short-range order in the local honeycomb lattice. OsxCl3 may exhibit certain aspects of the Kitaev spin liquid that are expected for a perfect honeycomb lattice of osmium trichloride.
@article{arxiv.2009.07541,
title = {Kitaev Spin Liquid Candidate OsxCl3 Comprised of Honeycomb Nano-Domains},
author = {K. Kataoka and D. Hirai and T. Yajima and D. Nishio-Hamane and R. Ishii and K. -Y. Choi and D. Wulferding and P. Lemmens and S. Kittaka and T. Sakakibara and H. Ishikawa and A. Matsuo and K. Kindo and Z. Hiroi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2009.07541},
year = {2020}
}