Research Projects

Quantum materials (QM) are sensational materials featuring exotic electronic or magnetic ground states and have been a subject of intense research in the past decade and a half. These are the materials whose emergent properties are not understood using classical mechanics and must include a certain higher level of quantum mechanical treatment. Quantum Spin Liquids (QSL) are one such QM which have tremendous application potential in the field of data transfer, memory and quantum computing technologies. It has been hypothesized that QSL can even host high-temperature superconductivity. QSL are the materials that evade any conventional magnetic order down to 0 K despite having strongly antiferromagnetically correlated spins owing to strong magnetic frustration. We are interested in design and discovery of novel QSL materials. Such materials are often found in systems containing a transitional metal with small total spin (S = 1/2 or 1) situated on a frustrated geometrical lattice (triangular, kagome or honeycomb). We are interested (1) in materials discovery; synthesizing new materials and investigating their basic chemical and physical properties thereby identifying a prospective QMs (2) rational design; understanding and harnessing individual chemical steps to generate tailored structures that are more likely to host quantum behavior. We would explore the transition metal oxides with hexagonal perovskite (with triangular lattice) and delafossite structures (honeycomb lattice) as prospective QSL. Accordingly, we have identified the potential compositions such as A₃BB’₂O₉ (triple perovskite), A4BB’₂O₁₂ and A₄BB’₃O₁₂ (quadruple perovskite), and ABO₂ and A₃B₂B’O₆ (delafossite type) [A = alkaline earth metal, B = transition metal]. By choosing the appropriate combination of metal ions (such as Co²+, Cu²+, Ru⁵+ Ir⁴+) for B sites, we are hopeful of designing many new compounds. We would grow these materials using various routes like solid-state synthesis, sealed tube synthesis, chemical vapor transport, salt flux growth, and hydrothermal synthesis. Rigorous structural characterization and electrical and magnetic property measurements on these compounds will reveal their intrinsic magnetic and electronic nature thereby helping in identifying them as QSL materials. These compound would also provide a platform to understand the fundamental correlation of spin-orbit-charge-lattice degrees of freedom in the heavy transition metal (4d/5d group) compounds, paving way for rationally designing many new materials with tailored properties for varied applications (electronics and spintronics).