FePd2Te2: An Anisotropic Two-Dimensional Ferromagnet with One-Dimensional Fe Chains

TL;DR

This study reports the discovery and characterization of FePd2Te2, a new anisotropic 2D ferromagnetic material with one-dimensional Fe chains, exhibiting high Curie temperature and potential for spintronic applications.

Contribution

The paper introduces FePd2Te2 as a novel 2D ferromagnet with unique one-dimensional Fe chains and detailed experimental and theoretical characterization.

Findings

FePd2Te2 is a layered quasi-2D ferromagnet with Tc 183 K.

It can be exfoliated down to 5 nm thickness.

Ferromagnetism persists in flakes with large coercivity.

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) magnets have attracted significant attentions in recent years due to their importance in the research on both fundamental physics and spintronic applications. Here, we report the discovery of a new ternary compound FePd2Te2. It features a layered quasi-2D crystal structure with one-dimensional Fe zigzag chains extending along the b-axis in the cleavage plane. Single crystals of FePd2Te2 with centimeter-size could be grown. Density functional theory calculations, mechanical exfoliation and atomic force microscopy on these crystals reveal that they are 2D materialsthat can be thinned down to 5 nm. Magnetic characterization shows that FePd2Te2 is an easy-plane ferromagnet with Tc 183 K and strong in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. Magnetoresistance and anomalous Hall effect demonstrate that ferromagnetism could maintain in FePd2Te2 flakes with large coercivity. A crystal twinning effect is observed by scanning tunneling microscopy which makes the Fe chains right-angle bent in the cleavage plane and creates an intriguing spin texture. Our results show that FePd2Te2 is a correlated anisotropic 2D magnets that may attract multidisciplinary research interests.