Coupling of Crystal Structure and Magnetism in the Layered, Ferromagnetic Insulator CrI 3

We have examined the crystallographic and magnetic properties of single crystals of CrI3, an easily cleavable, layered and insulating ferromagnet with a Curie temperature of 61 K. Our X-ray diffraction studies reveal a first-order crystallographic phase transition occurring near 210–220 K upon warming, with significant thermal hysteresis. The low-temperature structure is rhombohedral (R3̅, BiI3-type) and the high-temperature structure is monoclinic (C2/m, AlCl3-type). We find evidence for coupling between the crystallographic and magnetic degrees of freedom in CrI3, observing an anomaly in the interlayer spacing at the Curie temperature and an anomaly in the magnetic susceptibility at the structural…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy
• BE
  Basic Energy Sciences