Coexistence of metallic and nonmetallic properties in the pyrochlore Lu2Rh2O7

Alannah M. Hallas, Arzoo Z. Sharma, Cole Mauws, Qiang Chen, Haidong D. Zhou, Cui Ding, Zizhou Gong, Makoto Tachibana, Paul M. Sarte, J. Paul Attfield, Graeme M. Luke, Christopher R. Wiebe

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Transition metal oxides of the 4d and 5d block have recently become the targets of materials discovery, largely due to their strong spin-orbit coupling that can generate exotic magnetic and electronic states. Here we report the high pressure synthesis of Lu2Rh2O7, a new cubic pyrochlore oxide based on 4d5 Rh4+ and characterizations via thermodynamic, electrical transport, and muon spin relaxation measurements. Magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal a large temperature-independent Pauli paramagnetic contribution, while heat capacity shows an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient, γ = 21.8(1) mJ/mol-Rh K2. Muon spin relaxation measurements confirm that Lu2Rh2O7 remains paramagnetic down to 2 K. Taken in combination, these three measurements suggest that Lu2Rh2O7 is a correlated paramagnetic metal with a Wilson ratio of RW = 2.5. However, electric transport measurements present a striking contradiction as the resistivity of Lu2Rh2O7 is observed to monotonically increase with decreasing temperature, indicative of a nonmetallic state. Furthermore, although the magnitude of the resistivity is that of a semiconductor, the temperature dependence does not obey any conventional form. Thus, we propose that Lu2Rh2O7 may belong to the same novel class of non-Fermi liquids as the nonmetallic metal FeCrAs.
Original languageEnglish
Journalnpj Quantum Materials
Volume4
Issue number1
Early online date1 Mar 2019
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 1 Mar 2019

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