Atomic-scale observation of structural and electronic orders in the layered compound α-RuCl3

M. Ziatdinov (), A. Banerjee (), A. Maksov, T. Berlijn, W. Zhou, H. B. Cao, J.-Q. Yan, C. A. Bridges, D. G. Mandrus, S. E. Nagler, A. P. Baddorf and S. V. Kalinin ()
Additional contact information
M. Ziatdinov: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
A. Banerjee: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
A. Maksov: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
T. Berlijn: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
W. Zhou: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
H. B. Cao: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
J.-Q. Yan: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
C. A. Bridges: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
D. G. Mandrus: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
S. E. Nagler: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
A. P. Baddorf: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
S. V. Kalinin: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract A pseudospin-1/2 Mott phase on a honeycomb lattice is proposed to host the celebrated two-dimensional Kitaev model which has an elusive quantum spin liquid ground state, and fascinating physics relevant to the development of future templates towards topological quantum bits. Here we report a comprehensive, atomically resolved real-space study by scanning transmission electron and scanning tunnelling microscopies on a novel layered material displaying Kitaev physics, α-RuCl3. Our local crystallography analysis reveals considerable variations in the geometry of the ligand sublattice in thin films of α-RuCl3 that opens a way to realization of a spatially inhomogeneous magnetic ground state at the nanometre length scale. Using scanning tunnelling techniques, we observe the electronic energy gap of ≈0.25 eV and intra-unit cell symmetry breaking of charge distribution in individual α-RuCl3 surface layer. The corresponding charge-ordered pattern has a fine structure associated with two different types of charge disproportionation at Cl-terminated surface.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13774

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