The layered honeycomb lattice material α-RuCl3 has emerged as a prime candidate for displaying the Kitaev quantum spin liquid state, and as such has attracted much research interest. Here a new layered honeycomb lattice polymorph of RuI3 , a material that is strongly chemically and structurally related to α-RuCl3 is described. The material is synthesized at moderately elevated pressures and is stable under ambient conditions. Preliminary characterization reveals that it is a metallic conductor, with the absence of long-range magnetic order down to 0.35 K and an unusually large T-linear contribution to the heat capacity. It is proposed that this phase, with a layered honeycomb lattice and strong spin-orbit coupling, provides a new route for the characterization of quantum materials.
Keywords: Kitaev quantum spin liquids; high-pressure synthesis; honeycomb layers; ruthenium iodide; ruthenium trihalide.
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