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  • Quantum spin-liquid states in an organic magnetic layer and molecular rotor hybrid.

Quantum spin-liquid states in an organic magnetic layer and molecular rotor hybrid.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2020-11-07)
Péter Szirmai, Cécile Mézière, Guillaume Bastien, Pawel Wzietek, Patrick Batail, Edoardo Martino, Konstantins Mantulnikovs, Andrea Pisoni, Kira Riedl, Stephen Cottrell, Christopher Baines, László Forró, Bálint Náfrádi
ABSTRACT

The exotic properties of quantum spin liquids (QSLs) have continually been of interest since Anderson's 1973 ground-breaking idea. Geometrical frustration, quantum fluctuations, and low dimensionality are the most often evoked material's characteristics that favor the long-range fluctuating spin state without freezing into an ordered magnet or a spin glass at low temperatures. Among the few known QSL candidates, organic crystals have the advantage of having rich chemistry capable of finely tuning their microscopic parameters. Here, we demonstrate the emergence of a QSL state in [EDT-TTF-CONH2]2 +[[Formula: see text]] (EDT-BCO), where the EDT molecules with spin-1/2 on a triangular lattice form layers which are separated by a sublattice of BCO molecular rotors. By several magnetic measurements, we show that the subtle random potential of frozen BCO Brownian rotors suppresses magnetic order down to the lowest temperatures. Our study identifies the relevance of disorder in the stabilization of QSLs.