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We present an experimental investigation of the magnetic ground state in Ba$_4$NbIr$_3$O$_{12}$, a fractional valent trimer iridate. X-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy show that the Ir valence lies between 3+ and 4+ while Nb is pentavalent. Combined dc/ac magnetization, specific heat, and muon spin rotation/relaxation ($\mu$SR) measurements reveal no magnetic phase transition down to 0.05~K. Despite a significant Weiss temperature ($\Theta_{\mathrm{W}} \sim -15$ to $-25$~K) indicating antiferromagnetic correlations, a quantum spin-liquid (QSL) phase emerges and persists down to 0.1~K. This state likely arises from geometric frustration in the edge-sharing equilateral triangle Ir network. Our $\mu$SR analysis reveals a two-component depolarization, arising from the coexistence of rapidly (90\%) and slowly (10\%) fluctuating Ir moments. Powder x-ray diffraction and Ir-L$_3$edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy identify ~8-10\% Nb/Ir site-exchange, reducing frustration within part of the Ir network, and likely leading to the faster muon spin relaxation, while the structurally ordered Ir ions remain highly geometrically frustrated, giving rise to the rapidly spin-fluctuating QSL ground state. At low temperatures, the magnetic specific heat varies as $\gamma T + \alpha T^2$, indicating gapless spinon excitations, and possible Dirac QSL features with linear spinon dispersion, respectively., Comment: 27 pages, 15 figures

Frustrated magnets offer a plethora of exotic magnetic ground states, including quantum spin liquids (QSLs), in which enhanced quantum fluctuations prevent a long-range magnetic ordering of the strongly correlated spins down to lowest temperature. Here we have investigated the trimer based mixed valence hexagonal rhodate Ba$_4$NbRh$_3$O$_{12}$ using a combination of dc and ac magnetization, electrical resistivity, specific heat, and muon spin rotation/relaxation ($\mu$SR) measurements. Despite the substantial antiferromagnetic exchange interactions, as evident from the Weiss temperature ($\theta_{\mathrm{W}}\sim -35$ to -45 K), among the Rh-local moments, neither long-range magnetic ordering nor spin-freezing is observed down to at least 50 mK, in ac-susceptibility, specific heat and ZF-$\mu$SR measurements (down to 0.26 K). We ascribe the absence of any magnetic transition to enhanced quantum fluctuations as a result of geometrical frustration arising out of the edge-sharing equilateral Rh-triangular network in the structure. Our longitudinal-field $\mu$SR result evidences persistent spin fluctuations down to 0.26~K, thus stabilizing a dynamic QSL ground state in Ba$_4$NbRh$_3$O$_{12}$. Furthermore, the magnetic specific heat ($C_{\mathrm{m}}$) data at low-$T$ reveal a significant $T$-linear contribution plus a quadratic $T$-dependence. A $T$-linear behavior is evocative of gapless spin excitations, while the $T^2$-term of $C_{\mathrm{m}}$ may indicate the Dirac QSL phenomenology of the spinon excitations with a linear dispersion., Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures

The search of novel quasi one-dimensional (1D) materials is one of the important aspects in the field of material science. Toroidal moment, the order parameter of ferrotoroidic order, can be generated by a head-to-tail configuration of magnetic moment. It has been theoretically proposed that one-dimensional (1D) dimerized and antiferromagnetic-like spin chain hosts ferrotoroidicity and has the toroidal moment composed of only two antiparallel spins. Here, we report a ferrotoroidic candidate of Ba6Cr2S10 with such a theoretical model of spin chain. The structure consists of unique dimerized face-sharing CrS6 octahedral chains along the c axis. An antiferromagnetic-like ordering at ~10 K breaks both space- and time-reversal symmetries and the magnetic point group of mm'2' allows three ferroic orders in Ba6Cr2S10: (anti)ferromagnetic, ferroelectric and ferrotoroidic orders. Our investigation reveals that Ba6Cr2S10 is a rare ferrotoroidic candidate with quasi 1D spin chain, which can be considered as a starting point for the further exploration of the physics and applications of ferrotoroidicity.

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media is a promising electrochemical energy conversion strategy. Ruthenium (Ru) is an efficient catalyst with a desirable cost for HER, however, the sluggish H2O dissociation process, due to the low H2O adsorption on its surface, currently hampers the performances of this catalyst in alkaline HER. Herein, we demonstrate that the H2O adsorption improves significantly by the construction of Ru-O-Mo sites. We prepared Ru/MoO2 catalysts with Ru-O-Mo sites through a facile thermal treatment process and assessed the creation of Ru-O-Mo interfaces by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). By using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and H2O adsorption tests, we proved Ru-O-Mo sites have tenfold stronger H2O adsorption ability than that of Ru catalyst. The catalysts with Ru-O-Mo sites exhibited a state-of-the-art overpotential of 16 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 1 M KOH electrolyte, demonstrating a threefold reduction than the previous bests of Ru (59 mV) and commercial Pt (31 mV) catalysts. We proved the stability of these performances over 40 hours without decline. These results could open a new path for designing efficient and stable catalysts.

Electrochemical CO2 reduction is a promising strategy for utilization of CO2 and intermittent excess electricity. Cu is the only single-metal catalyst that can electrochemically convert CO2 to multi-carbon products. However, Cu has an undesirable selectivity and activity for C2 products, due to its insufficient amount of CO* for C-C coupling. Considering the strong CO2 adsorption and ultra-fast reaction kinetics of CO* formation on Pd, an intimate CuPd(100) interface was designed to lower the intermediate reaction barriers and then improve the efficiency of C2 products. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations showed that the CuPd(100) interface has enhanced CO2 adsorption and decreased CO2* hydrogenation energy barrier, which are beneficial for C-C coupling. The potential-determining step (PDS) barrier of CO2 to C2 products on CuPd(100) interface is 0.61 eV, which is lower than that on Cu(100) (0.72 eV). Motivated by the DFT calculation, the CuPd(100) interface catalyst was prepared by a facile chemical solution method and demonstrated by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The CO2 temperature programmed desorption (CO2-TPD) and gas sensor experiments proved the enhancements of CO2 adsorption and CO2* hydrogenation abilities on CuPd(100) interface catalyst. As a result, the obtained CuPd(100) interface catalyst exhibits a C2 Faradaic efficiency of 50.3 (+/-) 1.2% at -1.4 VRHE in 0.1 M KHCO3, which is 2.1 times higher than 23.6(+/-) 1.5% of Cu catalyst. This work provides a rational design of Cu-based electrocatalyst for multi-carbon products by fine-tuning the intermediate reaction barriers.