Chemical tuning of molecular quantum materials κ-[(BEDT-TTF)1−x(BEDT-STF)x]2Cu2(CN)3: from the Mott-insulating quantum spin liquid to metallic Fermi liquid

Abstract

The electronic properties of molecular conductors can be readily varied via physical or chemical pressure as it enlarges the bandwidth W. This enables them to cross the Mott insulator-to-metal phase transition by reducing electronic correlations U/W. Here we introduce an alternative path by spatially expanding the molecular orbitals when partially replacing sulfur by selenium in the constituting bis-(ethylenedithio)-tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF) molecules of the title compound. We characterize how the insulating quantum-spin-liquid state is tuned via a Mott transition to the metallic Fermi-liquid state crossing a narrow region of superconductivity. The transport, dielectric, and optical measurements reveal that at this first-order phase transition, metallic regions coexist in the insulating matrix leading to pronounced percolative effects, which are most obvious in the strong enhancement of the dielectric constant at low temperatures.