UI$_3$ -- 5f-electron magnetic van der Waals material

TL;DR

This study reports the growth and magnetic characterization of UI$_3$, a 5f-electron van der Waals antiferromagnet, revealing complex magnetic phase transitions, anisotropy, and potential for 2D magnetic applications.

Contribution

First detailed investigation of UI$_3$'s magnetic properties, phase transitions, and anisotropy, highlighting its suitability for 2D magnetic studies.

Findings

UI$_3$ exhibits antiferromagnetic order with a Neel temperature of 2.65 K.

Magnetic field induces a metamagnetic transition and short-range magnetic correlations.

UI$_3$ crystals are easily cleavable, enabling studies of 5f electron magnetism in 2D.

Abstract

We grew high-quality single crystals of the 5f electron van der Waals compound UI$_3$ and investigated them by measurements of specific heat and magnetization as functions of temperature and magnetic field. UI$_3$ behaves as an antiferromagnet with a first-order magnetic phase transition at the Ne\'el temperature $T_N$ = 2.65 K. It is characterized by a sharp symmetric specific-heat peak which is gradually shifted to lower temperatures by increasing magnetic field applied along either the a- or b-axis. The behavior in magnetic fields reveals orthorhombic magnetocrystalline anisotropy with the hard magnetization direction along the c-axis. The 2-K a- and b-axis magnetization curves exhibit a metamagnetic transition at the critical field $H_c$ = 3 T and 1.8 T, respectively. In higher fields, when the long-range antiferromagnetism is suppressed by a metamagnetic transition, signs of short-range magnetic ordering of antiferromagnetic correlations in the paramagnetic state show up both in specific heat and magnetization. The anomalous S-shape field dependence of a-axis magnetization well above $H_c$ can be understood as the crossover from the correlated paramagnetic regime to the high-field polarized paramagnet. The magnetic phase diagrams for the magnetic field applied along the a- and b-axis, respectively, designed using the mentioned experimental results are presented. We have also found that the UI$_3$ crystals are easily cleavable which predisposes this material for direct investigation of 5f electron magnetism in the 2D limit on exfoliated atomically thin samples.