Resolving growth-induced off-stoichiometry in AgCrSe$_2$ single crystals

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Eder, Felix, Maesen, Zeno, Skourski, Yurii, Giannini, Enrico, Zaharko, Oksana, von Rohr, Fabian O.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Eder, Felix
Maesen, Zeno
Skourski, Yurii
Giannini, Enrico
Zaharko, Oksana
von Rohr, Fabian O.
author_facet Eder, Felix
Maesen, Zeno
Skourski, Yurii
Giannini, Enrico
Zaharko, Oksana
von Rohr, Fabian O.
contents The layered delafossite-like antiferromagnet AgCrSe$_2$ is a superionic conductor at high temperatures and has been reported to exhibit anomalous Hall behavior and Kondo physics at low temperatures. These extraordinary transport properties have been established almost exclusively on single crystals grown by chemical vapor transport, raising questions about the role of growth-induced off-stoichiometry. Using elemental analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and magnetization measurements, we show that such crystals are indeed systematically off-stoichiometric, with a general composition of Ag$_{1-x}$Cr(Se$_{2-y}$Cl$_y$) ($x \approx y \approx 0.08$) arising from the use of CrCl$_3$ as a transport agent. This off-stoichiometry manifests in altered magnetic properties, most notably a suppressed Néel temperature of 46\,K compared to 58\,K in stoichiometric polycrystalline samples prepared by solid-state synthesis. By optimizing an Ag/Se self-flux growth method, we obtained large single crystals of AgCrSe$_2$ that recover the magnetic transition temperature and saturation field of stoichiometric powder samples. These results establish self-flux growth as a route to high-quality stoichiometric AgCrSe$_2$ single crystals and provide a reliable platform for reassessing whether the reported anomalous transport phenomena are intrinsic or arise from off-stoichiometry.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_26887
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Resolving growth-induced off-stoichiometry in AgCrSe$_2$ single crystals
Eder, Felix
Maesen, Zeno
Skourski, Yurii
Giannini, Enrico
Zaharko, Oksana
von Rohr, Fabian O.
Materials Science
The layered delafossite-like antiferromagnet AgCrSe$_2$ is a superionic conductor at high temperatures and has been reported to exhibit anomalous Hall behavior and Kondo physics at low temperatures. These extraordinary transport properties have been established almost exclusively on single crystals grown by chemical vapor transport, raising questions about the role of growth-induced off-stoichiometry. Using elemental analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and magnetization measurements, we show that such crystals are indeed systematically off-stoichiometric, with a general composition of Ag$_{1-x}$Cr(Se$_{2-y}$Cl$_y$) ($x \approx y \approx 0.08$) arising from the use of CrCl$_3$ as a transport agent. This off-stoichiometry manifests in altered magnetic properties, most notably a suppressed Néel temperature of 46\,K compared to 58\,K in stoichiometric polycrystalline samples prepared by solid-state synthesis. By optimizing an Ag/Se self-flux growth method, we obtained large single crystals of AgCrSe$_2$ that recover the magnetic transition temperature and saturation field of stoichiometric powder samples. These results establish self-flux growth as a route to high-quality stoichiometric AgCrSe$_2$ single crystals and provide a reliable platform for reassessing whether the reported anomalous transport phenomena are intrinsic or arise from off-stoichiometry.
title Resolving growth-induced off-stoichiometry in AgCrSe$_2$ single crystals
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.26887