From Claringbullite to a New Spin Liquid Candidate Cu3Zn(OH)6FCl**Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (2016YFA0300502, 2017YFA0302901, 2016YFA0300604 and 2016YFA0300501), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB28000000, XDB07020100 and QYZDB-SSW-SLH043), the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 11421092, 11574359, 11674370, 11774399, 11474330 and U1732154.

Abstract

The search for quantum spin liquid (QSL) materials has attracted significant attention in the field of condensed matter physics in recent years, however so far only a handful of them are considered as candidates hosting QSL ground state. Owning to their geometrically frustrated structures, Kagome materials are ideal systems to realize QSL. We synthesize the kagome structured material claringbullite (Cu4(OH)6FCl) and then replace inter-layer Cu with Zn to form Cu3Zn(OH)6FCl. Comprehensive measurements reveal that doping Zn2+ ions transforms magnetically ordered Cu4(OH)6FCl into a non-magnetic QSL candidate Cu3Zn(OH)6FCl. Therefore, the successful syntheses of Cu4(OH)6FCl and Cu3Zn(OH)6FCl provide not only a new platform for the study of QSL but also a novel pathway of investigating the transition between QSL and magnetically ordered systems.