Carrier-induced transition from antiferromagnetic insulator to ferromagnetic metal in the layered phosphide EuZn$_2$P$_2$

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Chen, Xiyu, Yang, Wuzhang, Lu, Jia-Yi, Zhou, Zhiyu, Ren, Zhi, Cao, Guang-Han, Dong, Shuai, Wang, Zhi-Cheng
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Chen, Xiyu
Yang, Wuzhang
Lu, Jia-Yi
Zhou, Zhiyu
Ren, Zhi
Cao, Guang-Han
Dong, Shuai
Wang, Zhi-Cheng
author_facet Chen, Xiyu
Yang, Wuzhang
Lu, Jia-Yi
Zhou, Zhiyu
Ren, Zhi
Cao, Guang-Han
Dong, Shuai
Wang, Zhi-Cheng
contents EuZn$_2$P$_2$ was reported to be an insulating antiferromagnet with $T_\mathrm{N}$ of 23.5 K. In this study, single crystals of EuZn$_2$P$_2$ exhibiting metallic behavior and a ferromagnetic order of 72 K ($T_\mathrm{C}$) are successfully synthesized via a salt flux method. The presence of hole carriers induced by the Eu vacancies in the lattice is found to be crucial for the drastic changes in magnetism and electrical transport. The carriers mediate the interlayer ferromagnetic interaction, and the coupling strength is directly related to $T_\mathrm{C}$, as evidenced by the linear dependence of $T_\mathrm{C}$ and the fitted Curie-Weiss temperatures on the Eu-layer distances for ferromagnetic Eu$M_2X_2$ ($M$ = Zn, Cd; $X$ = P, As). The ferromagnetic EuZn$_2$P$_2$ shows conspicuous negative magnetoresistance (MR) near $T_\mathrm{C}$, owing to strong magnetic scattering. The MR behavior is consistent with the Majumdar-Littlewood model, indicating that the MR can be enhanced by decreasing the carrier density. Our findings suggest that Eu$M_2X_2$ has highly tunable magnetism and charge transport, making it a promising material family for potential applications in spintronics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_05819
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Carrier-induced transition from antiferromagnetic insulator to ferromagnetic metal in the layered phosphide EuZn$_2$P$_2$
Chen, Xiyu
Yang, Wuzhang
Lu, Jia-Yi
Zhou, Zhiyu
Ren, Zhi
Cao, Guang-Han
Dong, Shuai
Wang, Zhi-Cheng
Materials Science
Strongly Correlated Electrons
EuZn$_2$P$_2$ was reported to be an insulating antiferromagnet with $T_\mathrm{N}$ of 23.5 K. In this study, single crystals of EuZn$_2$P$_2$ exhibiting metallic behavior and a ferromagnetic order of 72 K ($T_\mathrm{C}$) are successfully synthesized via a salt flux method. The presence of hole carriers induced by the Eu vacancies in the lattice is found to be crucial for the drastic changes in magnetism and electrical transport. The carriers mediate the interlayer ferromagnetic interaction, and the coupling strength is directly related to $T_\mathrm{C}$, as evidenced by the linear dependence of $T_\mathrm{C}$ and the fitted Curie-Weiss temperatures on the Eu-layer distances for ferromagnetic Eu$M_2X_2$ ($M$ = Zn, Cd; $X$ = P, As). The ferromagnetic EuZn$_2$P$_2$ shows conspicuous negative magnetoresistance (MR) near $T_\mathrm{C}$, owing to strong magnetic scattering. The MR behavior is consistent with the Majumdar-Littlewood model, indicating that the MR can be enhanced by decreasing the carrier density. Our findings suggest that Eu$M_2X_2$ has highly tunable magnetism and charge transport, making it a promising material family for potential applications in spintronics.
title Carrier-induced transition from antiferromagnetic insulator to ferromagnetic metal in the layered phosphide EuZn$_2$P$_2$
topic Materials Science
Strongly Correlated Electrons
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.05819