Ferromagnetic-like behavior emerging from local <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>CoO</mml:mi> <mml:mn>6</mml:mn> </mml:msub> </mml:math> honeycomb motifs in Co-doped <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1

The strongly correlated oxides with a honeycomb lattice have attracted vast attention due to their interesting magnetic behaviors and emergent quantum effects such as Majorana fermions generated from Kitaev spin liquid. High-quality single crystal samples with delicately controlled composition and strain are highly required in this area. In this work, honeycomb structure built by edge-sharing ${\mathrm{CoO}}_{6}$ octahedra is stabilized in ilmenite matrix by doping 4% Co into ${\mathrm{NaSbO}}_{3}$. By performing magnetic measurements and first principles calculations, it is suggested that honeycomb local motifs containing ${\mathrm{Co}}^{2+}$ $(3{d}^{7})$ cobalt may exist in Co-doped ${\mathrm{NaSbO}}_{3}$ thin films, and exhibit ferromagnetic-like transition at \ensuremath{\sim}88 K. Meanwhile, the interlayer dipolar interaction may lead to antiferromagnetic coupling between the nearest layers. This work reveals the possibility to embed $3{d}^{7}$ honeycomb structure into an ilmenite matrix and provides a platform for future spin liquid exploration as well as quantum information technology.