Critical behavior of the quasi-two-dimensional semiconducting ferromagnet CrSiTe3

Sci Rep. 2016 Sep 21:6:33873. doi: 10.1038/srep33873.

Abstract

The semiconducting ferromagnet CrSiTe3 is a promising candidate for two-dimensional magnet simply by exfoliating down to single layers. To understand the magnetic behavior in thin-film samples and the possible applications, it is necessary to establish the nature of the magnetism in the bulk. In this work, the critical behavior at the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition in single-crystalline CrSiTe3 is investigated by bulk magnetization measurements. We have obtained the critical exponents (β = 0.170 ± 0.008, γ = 1.532 ± 0.001, and δ = 9.917 ± 0.008) and the critical temperature TC = 31.0 K using various techniques such as modified Arrott plot, Kouvel-Fisher plot, and critical isotherm analysis. Our analysis suggests that the determined exponents match well with those calculated from the results of renormalization group approach for a two-dimensional Ising model coupled with long-range interaction.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't