Defect-Induced Magnetic Skyrmion in Two-Dimensional Chromium Tri-Iodide Monolayer

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how atomically precise halide substitution in monolayer chromium iodide induces spin-canted magnetic states, revealing a pathway for strain-engineered magnetic pattern control in 2D materials.

Contribution

It introduces a method of inducing and controlling magnetic skyrmion-like states in chromium iodide monolayers through selective defect engineering.

Findings

Substitutional defects induce local geometric distortions affecting magnetic orientation.

Different defect concentrations and configurations modulate magnetic states.

The work provides atomic-level insight into defect-driven magnetic pattern control.

Abstract

Chromium iodide monolayers, which have different magnetic properties in comparison to the bulk chromium iodide, have been shown to form skyrmionic states in applied electromagnetic fields or in Janus-layer devices. In this work, we demonstrate that spin-canted solutions can be induced into monolayer chromium iodide by select substitution of iodide atoms with isovalent impurities. Several concentrations and spatial configurations of halide substitutional defects are selected to probe the coupling between the local defect-induced geometric distortions and orientation of chromium magnetic moments. This work provides atomic-level insight into how atomically precise strain-engineering can be used to create and control complex magnetic patterns in chromium iodide layers and lays out the foundation for investigating the field- and geometric-dependent magnetic properties in similar two-dimensional materials.