Strongly Electron-Correlated Semimetal RuI<sub>3</sub> with a Layered Honeycomb Structure
Kazuhiro Nawa, Yoshinori Imai, Youhei Yamaji, Hideyuki Fujihara, Wakana Yamada, Ryotaro Takahashi, Takumi Hiraoka, Masato Hagihala, Shuki Torii, Takuya Aoyama, Takamasa Ohashi, Yasuhiro Shimizu, Hirotada Gotou, Masayuki Itoh, Kenya Ohgushi, T. Sato
Abstract
A polymorph of RuI$_3$ synthesized under high pressure was found to have a two-layered honeycomb structure. The resistivity of RuI$_3$ exhibits a semimetallic behavior, in contrast to insulating properties in $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$. In addition, Pauli paramagnetic behavior was observed in the temperature dependence of a magnetic susceptibility and a nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/$T_1$. The band structure calculations indicate that contribution of the I 5$p$ components to the low-energy $t_\mathrm{2g}$ bands effectively decreases Coulomb repulsion, leading to semimetallic properties. The physical properties also suggest strong electron correlations in RuI$_3$.