Interleaved bond frustration in a triangular lattice antiferromagnet

S. J. Gomez Alvarado; J. R. Chamorro; D. Rout; J. Hielscher; Sarah Schwarz; Caeli Benyacko; M. B. Stone; V. Ovidiu Garlea; A. R. Jackson; G. Pokharel; R. Gomez; B. R. Ortiz; Suchismita Sarker; L. Kautzsch; L. C. Gallington; R. Seshadri; Stephen D. Wilson

doi:10.1038/s41563-025-02380-x

Interleaved bond frustration in a triangular lattice antiferromagnet

S. J. Gomez Alvarado
, J. R. Chamorro
, D. Rout
, J. Hielscher
, Sarah Schwarz
, Caeli Benyacko
, M. B. Stone
, V. Ovidiu Garlea
, A. R. Jackson
, G. Pokharel
, R. Gomez
, B. R. Ortiz
, Suchismita Sarker
, L. Kautzsch
, L. C. Gallington
, R. Seshadri
, Stephen D. Wilson

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Frustration of long-range order via lattice geometry amplifies fluctuations and generates ground states that are highly sensitive to perturbations. Traditionally, geometric frustration is used to engineer unconventional magnetic states; however, the charge degree of freedom and bond order can be similarly frustrated. Finding materials that host both frustrated magnetic and bond networks holds promise for engineering structural and magnetic states with the potential of coupling to one another via either magnetic or strain fields. Here we identify an unusual instance of this coexistence in the triangular lattice antiferromagnets LnCd₃P₃ (Ln = lanthanides). These compounds feature two-dimensional planes of unique trigonal planar CdP₃ units with an underlying bond instability that is frustrated via emergent kagome ice correlations. This bond instability is interleaved in between layers of frustrated magnetic moments. Our results establish LnCd₃P₃ as a rare materials class in which frustrated magnetism is embedded within a dopable semiconductor with a frustrated bond order instability.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	65-72
Number of pages	8
Journal	Nature Materials
Volume	25
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02380-x
State	Published - Jan 2026

Funding

S.D.W. acknowledges helpful discussions with L. Balents and J. Ruff. We acknowledge various forms of support from G. Wu, M. Krogstad, J. Paddison, J. Marquez and C. G. Alvarado. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, under grant number DE-SC0017752. S.J.G.A. acknowledges additional financial support from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under grant number 1650114. J.R.C. acknowledges support through the NSF MPS-Ascend Postdoctoral Fellowship (DMR-2137580). This research made use of the shared facilities of the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UC Santa Barbara (DMR-2308708). We used computational facilities purchased with funds from the National Science Foundation (CNS-1725797) and administered by the Center for Scientific Computing (CSC). The CSC is supported by the California NanoSystems Institute and the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC; NSF DMR-2308708) at UC Santa Barbara. G.P., B.R.O. and L.K. acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Enabling Quantum Leap: Convergent Accelerated Discovery Foundries for Quantum Materials Science, Engineering and Information (Q-AMASE-i): Quantum Foundry at UC Santa Barbara (DMR-1906325). J.H. acknowledges financial support from the Bavarian Californian Technology Center (BaCaTeC). This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a US DOE, Office of Science User Facility, operated for the DOE, Office of Science, by Argonne National Laboratory under contract number DE-AC02-06CH11357. Research conducted at the Center for High-Energy X-ray Sciences (CHEXS) is supported by the National Science Foundation (BIO, ENG and MPS Directorates) under award number DMR-2342336.

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Gomez Alvarado, S. J., Chamorro, J. R., Rout, D., Hielscher, J., Schwarz, S., Benyacko, C., Stone, M. B., Garlea, V. O., Jackson, A. R., Pokharel, G., Gomez, R., Ortiz, B. R., Sarker, S., Kautzsch, L., Gallington, L. C., Seshadri, R., & Wilson, S. D. (2026). Interleaved bond frustration in a triangular lattice antiferromagnet. Nature Materials, 25(1), 65-72. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02380-x

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abstract = "Frustration of long-range order via lattice geometry amplifies fluctuations and generates ground states that are highly sensitive to perturbations. Traditionally, geometric frustration is used to engineer unconventional magnetic states; however, the charge degree of freedom and bond order can be similarly frustrated. Finding materials that host both frustrated magnetic and bond networks holds promise for engineering structural and magnetic states with the potential of coupling to one another via either magnetic or strain fields. Here we identify an unusual instance of this coexistence in the triangular lattice antiferromagnets LnCd3P3 (Ln = lanthanides). These compounds feature two-dimensional planes of unique trigonal planar CdP3 units with an underlying bond instability that is frustrated via emergent kagome ice correlations. This bond instability is interleaved in between layers of frustrated magnetic moments. Our results establish LnCd3P3 as a rare materials class in which frustrated magnetism is embedded within a dopable semiconductor with a frustrated bond order instability.",

author = "\{Gomez Alvarado\}, \{S. J.\} and Chamorro, \{J. R.\} and D. Rout and J. Hielscher and Sarah Schwarz and Caeli Benyacko and Stone, \{M. B.\} and Garlea, \{V. Ovidiu\} and Jackson, \{A. R.\} and G. Pokharel and R. Gomez and Ortiz, \{B. R.\} and Suchismita Sarker and L. Kautzsch and Gallington, \{L. C.\} and R. Seshadri and Wilson, \{Stephen D.\}",

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Gomez Alvarado, SJ, Chamorro, JR, Rout, D, Hielscher, J, Schwarz, S, Benyacko, C, Stone, MB , Garlea, VO, Jackson, AR, Pokharel, G, Gomez, R, Ortiz, BR, Sarker, S, Kautzsch, L, Gallington, LC, Seshadri, R & Wilson, SD 2026, 'Interleaved bond frustration in a triangular lattice antiferromagnet', Nature Materials, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 65-72. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02380-x

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AU - Gomez Alvarado, S. J.

AU - Chamorro, J. R.

AU - Rout, D.

AU - Hielscher, J.

AU - Schwarz, Sarah

AU - Benyacko, Caeli

AU - Stone, M. B.

AU - Garlea, V. Ovidiu

AU - Jackson, A. R.

AU - Pokharel, G.

AU - Gomez, R.

AU - Ortiz, B. R.

AU - Sarker, Suchismita

AU - Kautzsch, L.

AU - Gallington, L. C.

AU - Seshadri, R.

AU - Wilson, Stephen D.

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N2 - Frustration of long-range order via lattice geometry amplifies fluctuations and generates ground states that are highly sensitive to perturbations. Traditionally, geometric frustration is used to engineer unconventional magnetic states; however, the charge degree of freedom and bond order can be similarly frustrated. Finding materials that host both frustrated magnetic and bond networks holds promise for engineering structural and magnetic states with the potential of coupling to one another via either magnetic or strain fields. Here we identify an unusual instance of this coexistence in the triangular lattice antiferromagnets LnCd3P3 (Ln = lanthanides). These compounds feature two-dimensional planes of unique trigonal planar CdP3 units with an underlying bond instability that is frustrated via emergent kagome ice correlations. This bond instability is interleaved in between layers of frustrated magnetic moments. Our results establish LnCd3P3 as a rare materials class in which frustrated magnetism is embedded within a dopable semiconductor with a frustrated bond order instability.

AB - Frustration of long-range order via lattice geometry amplifies fluctuations and generates ground states that are highly sensitive to perturbations. Traditionally, geometric frustration is used to engineer unconventional magnetic states; however, the charge degree of freedom and bond order can be similarly frustrated. Finding materials that host both frustrated magnetic and bond networks holds promise for engineering structural and magnetic states with the potential of coupling to one another via either magnetic or strain fields. Here we identify an unusual instance of this coexistence in the triangular lattice antiferromagnets LnCd3P3 (Ln = lanthanides). These compounds feature two-dimensional planes of unique trigonal planar CdP3 units with an underlying bond instability that is frustrated via emergent kagome ice correlations. This bond instability is interleaved in between layers of frustrated magnetic moments. Our results establish LnCd3P3 as a rare materials class in which frustrated magnetism is embedded within a dopable semiconductor with a frustrated bond order instability.

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Interleaved bond frustration in a triangular lattice antiferromagnet

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