The Chemistry of Quantum Spin Liquids

TL;DR

This review discusses the current understanding of quantum spin liquids, focusing on their chemistry, synthesis, properties, and the impact of defects, aiming to guide future materials design and discovery.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the chemistry, synthesis, and structure-property relationships of quantum spin liquids, highlighting challenges and future directions in the field.

Findings

Identification of key structure-property relationships

Impact of defects on material characterization

Guidance for improving materials synthesis

Abstract

Quantum spin liquids are an exciting playground for exotic physical phenomena and emergent many-body quantum states. The realization and discovery of quantum spin liquid candidate materials and associated phenomena lie at the intersection of solid-state chemistry, condensed matter physics and materials science and engineering. In this review, we provide the current status of the crystal chemistry, synthetic techniques, physical properties, and research methods in the field of quantum spin liquids. We also highlight a number of specific quantum spin liquid candidate materials and their structure-property relationships, elucidating their fascinating behavior and connecting it to the intricacies of their structures. Furthermore, we share our thoughts on defects and their inevitable presence in materials, of which quantum spin liquids are no exception, which can complicate the interpretation of characterization of these materials, and urge the community to extend their attention to materials preparation and data analysis, cognizant of the impact of defects. This review was written with the intention of providing guidance on improving the materials design and growth of quantum spin liquids, and painting a picture of the beauty of the underlying chemistry of this exciting class of materials.