Single crystal growth from separated educts and its application to lithium transition-metal oxides

Abstract

Thorough mixing of the starting materials is the first step of a crystal growth procedure. This holds true for almost any standard technique, whereas the intentional separation of educts is considered to be restricted to a very limited number of cases. A noticeable exception is the crystal growth in gels that allows for a better control of the nucleation by limiting the diffusion. The successful application of this principle to open systems, however, has remained elusive. Here we show that single crystals of α-Li2IrO3 can be grown from separated educts in an open crucible in air. Elemental lithium and iridium are oxidized and transported over a distance of typically one centimeter in an isothermal process. Single crystals grow from an exposed condensation point placed in between the educts. The method has also been applied to the growth of Li2RuO3, Li2PtO3 and β-Li2IrO3 and a successful use for various other materials is anticipated.

Published in Nature Scientific Reports, reference added, minor changes

References in corpus (4)

• Mott Insulators in the Strong Spin-Orbit Coupling Limit: From Heisenberg to a Quantum Compass and Kitaev Models
• Hyper-honeycomb iridate $\beta$-Li2IrO3 as a platform for Kitaev magnetism
• Incommensurate Counterrotating Magnetic Order Stabilized by Kitaev Interactions in the Layered Honeycomb $\alpha$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Unconventional magnetic order on the hyperhoneycomb Kitaev lattice in $\beta$-Li2IrO3: full solution via magnetic resonant x-ray diffraction

Cited by in corpus (43)

• Kitaev quantum spin liquid - concept and materialization
• Models and Materials for Generalized Kitaev Magnetism
• Hunting Majorana Fermions in Kitaev Magnets
• The Chemistry of Quantum Spin Liquids
• Honeycomb Layered Oxides: Structure, Energy Storage, Transport, Topology and Relevant Insights
• Anisotropic susceptibilities in the honeycomb Kitaev system $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Fingerprints of Kitaev physics in the magnetic excitations of honeycomb iridates
• Competition between spin-orbit coupling, magnetism, and dimerization in the honeycomb iridates: $\alpha$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$ under pressure
• Breakdown of magnetic order in the pressurized Kitaev iridate $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Heat capacity evidence for proximity to the Kitaev QSL in A${}_2$IrO${}_3$ ($A=$ Na, Li)
• Role of Hydrogen in the spin-orbital-entangled quantum liquid candidate H${}_3$LiIr${}_2$O${}_6$
• Majorana-mediated spin transport without spin polarization in Kitaev quantum spin liquids
• Pressure-driven collapse of the relativistic electronic ground state in a honeycomb iridate
• Modified Curie-Weiss Law for $j_{\mathrm{eff}}$ Magnets
• Spin dynamics and field-induced magnetic phase transition in the honeycomb Kitaev magnet $\alpha$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• High-pressure versus isoelectronic doping effect on the honeycomb iridate Na${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Magnetic Raman continuum in single crystalline H${}_3$LiIr${}_2$O${}_6$
• High-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of the electron-phonon coupling in honeycomb $\alpha$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Kitaev magnetism through the prism of lithium iridate
• Anisotropic temperature-field phase diagram of single-crystalline $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$: magnetization, specific heat, and ${}^7$Li NMR study
• Electronic and magnetic properties of iridium ilmenites $A$IrO${}_3$ ($A=$ Mg, Zn, and Mn)
• Honeycomb rare-earth magnets with anisotropic exchange interactions
• Momentum-independent magnetic excitation continuum in the honeycomb iridate H${}_3$LiIr${}_2$O${}_6$
• Optical signature of the pressure-induced dimerization in the honeycomb iridate $\alpha$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Pressure-induced formation of rhodium zigzag chains in the honeycomb rhodate Li${}_2$RhO${}_3$
• GdPtPb: A non collinear antiferromagnet with distorted Kagomé lattice
• Electronic excitations in $\gamma$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Hidden spin-orbital order in the Kitaev hyperhoneycomb $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Unconventional magnetic field response of the hyperhoneycomb Kitaev magnet $\beta -{\text{Li}}_2{\text{IrO}}_3$
• Optical magnons with dominant bond-directional exchange interactions in a honeycomb lattice iridate $\alpha$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Lattice dynamics and structural transition of the hyperhoneycomb iridate $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$ investigated by high-pressure Raman scattering
• First-order magneto-structural transition in single crystals of the honeycomb lattice Ruthenate Li${}_2$RuO${}_3$
• Thermally enhanced Majorana-mediated spin transport in the Kitaev model
• Chemical tuning between triangular and honeycomb structures in a 5$d$ spin-orbit Mott insulator
• Role of disorder in the electronic and magnetic properties of Ag${}_3$LiIr${}_2$O${}_6$
• Non-local features of the spin-orbit exciton in Kitaev materials
• Ultrafast spin dynamics in the proximate quantum spin liquid α-RuCl3
• Minimal models of $\alpha$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$: On the range of the interactions, ground state properties, and magnetization processes
• Signatures of Floquet Engineering in the proximal Kitaev Quantum Spin Liquid H${}_3$LiIr${}_2$O${}_6$ by tr-RIXS
• Effect of Ti-doping on the dimer transition in Lithium Ruthenate
• Pressure-dependent magnetism of the Kitaev candidate Li${}_2$RhO${}_3$
• Metallic ruthenium ilmenites: first-principles study of MgRuO${}_3$ and CdRuO${}_3$
• Metallic conductivity on Na-deficient structural domain walls in the spin-orbit Mott insulator Na${}_2$IrO${}_3$