Nocera, Daniel GEvenson, Ryan2024-06-0120242024-05-312024Evenson, Ryan. 2024. Synthesis and Characterization of Correlated Materials. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.31296755https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37379054Progress in investigating exotic correlated phases of matter like Quantum Spin Liquids (QSLs) can fairly be described as sample-limited; the QSL candidacy of very few materials survive inspection by the full complement of (in)elastic X-ray/neutron/electron scattering and bulk thermodynamic probes now routinely applied for screening. Synthetic inorganic chemistry, when done with an eye towards open questions and applications in condensed matter physics, provides a needed source of new materials. Through analysis of reciprocal-space superstructure and bulk magnetism, this work identifies and characterizes new members of several families of QSL candidate materials, including cupric hydroxy-halide minerals, molecular organic metals, and platinum group lamellar oxides. Progress in determining the short-range structure in these complex materials via diffuse X-ray and electron scattering and the impact of that structure on the resulting global magnetic properties is described. Taken together, this work highlights the domineering role of subtle inter-atomic structural correlations in directing the magnetic correlations that control the key properties of quantum materials writ large, of which QSLs are a notable subset.application/pdfenInorganic chemistryMaterials ScienceCondensed matter physicsThesis or Dissertation2024-06-010000-0002-6331-4539