Magnetic Field Dependent Piezoelectricity in Atomically Thin Co$_2$Te$_3$

TL;DR

This study reports on 2D Co2Te3 exhibiting magnetic field-dependent piezoelectricity, combining experimental synthesis and theoretical analysis to reveal magneto-electric coupling at room temperature.

Contribution

First demonstration of magnetic field-dependent piezoelectricity in atomically thin Co2Te3 through synthesis, experiments, and theoretical modeling.

Findings

Co2Te3 is weakly ferromagnetic and semiconducting at room temperature.

Piezoelectric response shows a linear relationship with magnetic field.

Theoretical calculations support experimental observations.

Abstract

Two dimensional (2D) materials have received a surge in research interest due to their exciting range of properties. Here we show that 2D cobalt telluride (Co2Te3), successfully synthesized via liquid-phase exfoliation in an organic solvent, exhibits weak ferromagnetism and semiconducting behavior at room temperature. The magnetic field-dependent piezoelectric properties of 2D Co2Te3 sample show magneto-electric response of the material and a linear relationship between the output voltage and applied magnetic field. First-principles density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio molecular dynamics are used to explain these experimental results. Our work could pave the way for the development of 2D materials with coupled magnetism and piezoelectricity, leading to new applications in electromagnetics.