Tunable spin states in two-dimensional magnet CrI3

Abstract

The recent discovery of ferromagnetic single-layer CrI3 creates ample opportunities for studying fundamental properties of atomically-thin magnets. By using first-principles calculations and model analysis, we show that a lateral strain and/or charge doping can have unexpected effects on the magnetic properties of CrI3. In particular, strain tunes the magnetic order and anisotropy: (1) a compressive strain leads to a phase transition from a ferromagnetic insulator to an antiferromagnetic insulator, while (2) a tensile strain can flip the magnetic orientation from off-plane to in-plane. Interestingly, we find that the phase boundary for the first transition is insensitive to charge doping, whereas that of the second one can be significantly modulated by electron doping.

5 pages, 3 figures, 1 table

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Strain-tunable magnetic anisotropy in monolayer CrCl${}_3$, CrBr${}_3$, and CrI${}_3$
• Spin direction controlled electronic band structure in two dimensional ferromagnetic CrI3
• Possible Kitaev Quantum Spin Liquid State in 2D Materials with S=3/2
• Three-dimensional magnetic critical behavior in CrI${}_3$
• Anisotropic magnetocaloric effect in single crystals of CrI${}_3$