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The atacamite family of minerals – a testbed for quantum spin liquids
Author(s) -
Malcherek Thomas,
Welch Mark D.,
Williams Peter A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
acta crystallographica section b
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.604
H-Index - 33
ISSN - 2052-5206
DOI - 10.1107/s2052520618017079
Subject(s) - antiferromagnetism , quantum spin liquid , frustration , condensed matter physics , chemistry , crystallography , copper , materials science , physics , inorganic chemistry , spin polarization , quantum mechanics , organic chemistry , electron
Polymorphism of Cu 2 (OH) 3 Cl coupled with partial substitution of Jahn–Teller active Cu 2+ by other divalent metal cations gives rise to the complex mineralogy of the atacamite family of secondary basic copper chlorides. Herbertsmithite, Cu 3 Zn(OH) 6 Cl 2 , in which Zn substitutes for one quarter of the Cu atoms, provides a lattice of corner‐sharing triangles of paramagnetic Cu 2+ (spin ½) cations, rendering the mineral a perfect realization of a kagome antiferromagnet. Geometric frustration of conventional antiferromagnetism is expected to give rise to exotic ground states, with dynamic magnetic structures that might turn out to be physical realizations of quantum spin liquids. In this paper, a synopsis of the key topological, compositional and behavioural features of minerals in the atacamite family is given, with emphasis on the kagome character of the resulting lattice of Cu 2+ cations.