A MAGNETISM-BASED APPROACH TO EXAMINING SPIN-ORBIT COUPLING EFFECTS IN SOLID SYSTEMS OF ISOLATED IRIDIUM OCTAHEDRA

Abstract

This thesis explores the relative strengths of Spin-Orbit Coupling (SOC) in several perovskite-like systems that feature uninterrupted arrays of isolated IrO6 octahedra. Iridate compounds are particularly interesting to the community due to their relevance to emergent material properties such as insulating antiferromagnets, superconductors, and topological insulators. Recently literature has pointed to a complex interaction between SOC and crystal field splitting (CFS) in d5 metals. I utilize a straightforward, magnetic approach to determine the relative strengths of SOC vs CFS by chemically modifying structure and oxidation state. This contrasts with other work where advanced spectroscopic measurements are utilized to probe energy levels within a single compound. The focus of this study lies in two main methodologies: 1) Tracking the evolution of the Ir magnetic moment on progressing from 5d5 Ir4+ to 5d4 Ir5+ oxidation states that are clearly best described by a transition from a J=1/2 to a J=0 Ir magnetic state. In these cases, the evolution of the magnetic susceptibility shows the dominance of spin-orbit coupling in determining the magnetic properties of a material with highly isolated IrO6 octahedra. 2) Distorting J=0 Ir5+ systems where there is no emergence of an enhanced magnetic moment in the series on increasing the structural distortions, as would have been the case for significant crystal field splitting that reinforces the notion that spin-orbit coupling is the dominant force in determining the magnetism of iridium-oxygen octahedra in perovskite-like structures. The organization of this thesis is as follows: Chapter 1 presents a brief introduction to solid-state chemistry, iridates, and magnetism. Chapter 2 is an overview of experimental methodology and instrumentation. Chapter 3, presents a study of tuning the oxidation state of a new structure type: SrxLa11-xIr4O24. Chapter 4 presents a structural tuning of the Ir5+ system: Ba2-xSrxYIrO6. Finally, Chapter 5 provides a brief glimpse of the future of this new approach to studying this type of iridium-oxygen compounds.