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Fluctuating magnetism in Zn-doped averievite with well-separated kagome layers

G. Simutis1,2,3,*, L. Suárez-García2, H. Zeroual1, I. Villa1,2, M. Georgopoulou4,5, D. Boldrin6, D. Chatterjee1,7, C. N. Wang2, C. Baines2 et al.

T. Shiroka2,8, R. Khasanov2, H. Luetkens2, B. Fåk5, Y. Sassa3,9, M. Bartkowiak2, A. S. Wills4, E. Kermarrec1, F. Bert1, and P. Mendels1

  • *Contact author: gediminas.simutis@psi.ch
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Phys. Rev. Materials 9, 074003 – Published 11 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/l7gq-cc96

Abstract

Kagome lattice decorated with S=1/2 spins is one of the most discussed ways to realize a quantum spin liquid. However, all previous material realizations of this model have suffered from additional complications, ranging from additional interactions to impurity effects. Recently, a new quantum kagome system has been identified in the form of averievite Cu5−xZnxV2O10(CsCl), featuring a unique double-layer spacing between the kagome planes. Using muon spin spectroscopy we show that only a complete substitution (i.e., x=2) of interplanar copper ions leads to a quantum-disordered ground state. In contrast, the parent compound (x=0) exhibits long-range magnetic order, with a phase transition around 24 K. Experiments performed on the partially substituted material (x=1) show that the transformation proceeds through an intermediate disordered, partially frozen ground state, unaffected by pressures up to 23 kbar. Our study provides a microscopic view of the magnetism of the decoupling of the kagome layers and establishes the averievite as a new material platform for the experimental study of the fully-decoupled kagome layers.

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Phys. Rev. Materials 9, 074003– Published 11 July, 2025
  • Received 29 April 2025
  • Accepted 23 June 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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