Spin frustration in 2D kagomé lattices: a problem for inorganic synthetic chemistry.
A kagomé antiferromagnet presents an ideal construct for studying the unusual physics that result from the placement of magnetically frustrated spins on a low-dimensional lattice. Jarosites are the prototype for a spin-frustrated magnetic structure, because these materials are composed exclusively of kagomé layers. Notwithstanding, jarosite-type materials have escaped precise magnetic characterization over the past three decades, because they are notoriously difficult to prepare in pure and single-crystal forms. These hurdles have been overcome with the development of redox-based hydrothermal methods. Armed with pure and crystalline materials, several perplexing issues surrounding the magnetic properties of the jarosites have been resolved, yielding a detailed and comprehensive picture of the ground-state physics of this kagomé lattice.
Nocera
Daniel G
DG
Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA. nocera@mit.edu
Bartlett
Bart M
BM
Grohol
Daniel
D
Papoutsakis
Dimitris
D
Shores
Matthew P
MP