Magnetoelastic coupling in α-RuCl₃ and possible technological applications of α-RuCl₃/graphene heterostructures

In this talk, I will focus on the first-principles results on the magnetoelastic coupling in α−RuCl₃ and the dependence of the magnetic coupling constants on strain effects. Different magnetic interactions are found to respond unequally to the variations in the lattice, with the Kitaev interaction being the most sensitive. We will discuss how uniaxial strain perpendicular to the honeycomb planes reorganizes the relative coupling strengths, strongly enhancing the Kitaev interaction while simultaneously weakening the other anisotropic exchanges under compression. Uniaxial strain may therefore pose a fruitful route to experimentally tune α−RuCl₃ nearer to Kitaev limit. I will also discuss the corresponding scenario when the strain changes from uniaxial to homogeneous. 

In heterostructure geometry with graphene, α−RuCl₃ shows interesting properties due to the proximity effect.  I will show how the charge transfer between α−RuCl₃ and graphene can be used for device applications in technology.