Designer spin models in tunable two-dimensional nanographene lattices

Abstract

Motivated by recent experimental breakthroughs, we propose a strategy to design two-dimensional spin lattices with competing interactions that lead to non-trivial emergent quantum states. We consider $S=1/2$ nanographenes with $C_3$ symmetry as building blocks, and we leverage the potential to control both the sign and the strength of exchange with first neighbours to build a family of spin models. Specifically, we consider the case of a Heisenberg model in a triangle-decorated honeycomb lattice with competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions whose ratio can be varied in a wide range. Based on exact diagonalization of both fermionic and spin models we predict a quantum phase transition between a valence bond crystal of spin singlets with triplon excitations living in a Kagom\'e lattice and a N\'eel phase of effective $S=3/2$ in the limit of dominant ferromagnetic interactions.