Mechanical and liquid phase exfoliation of cylindrite: a natural van der Waals superlattice with intrinsic magnetic interactions

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the successful exfoliation of cylindrite, a natural van der Waals superlattice, revealing its potential as a stable, highly conductive, and intrinsically magnetic 2D material suitable for electronic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a new method for exfoliating cylindrite and characterizes its magnetic and electronic properties, highlighting its potential in 2D material applications.

Findings

Cylindrite is a heavily doped p-type semiconductor with a narrow bandgap.

Intrinsic magnetic interactions are preserved in exfoliated nanosheets.

Cylindrite exhibits environmental stability and high electrical conductivity.

Abstract

We report the isolation of thin flakes of cylindrite, a naturally occurring van der Waals superlattice, by means of mechanical and liquid phase exfoliation. We find that this material is a heavily doped p-type semiconductor with a narrow gap (<0.85 eV) with intrinsic magnetic interactions that are preserved even in the exfoliated nanosheets. Due to its environmental stability and high electrical conductivity, cylindrite can be an interesting alternative to the existing two-dimensional magnetic materials.