# Nanosheets of Metastable and Metamagnetic EuSe2

## TL;DR

Researchers synthesized two-dimensional nanosheets of EuSe2 and studied their unique magnetic properties.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a method to synthesize metastable EuSe2 nanosheets and reveals their anisotropic magnetic behavior.

## Key findings

- EuSe2 nanosheets exhibit easy-axis antiferromagnetism along the c-axis.
- The metamagnetic transition critical field is lower in nanosheets compared to bulk material.
- Néel temperature in nanosheets is close to that of the bulk material.

## Abstract

We have identified
solution conditions for synthesizing the metastable
and metamagnetic semiconductor europium dichalcogenide, EuSe2, as two-dimensional nanosheets. We demonstrated phase control (EuSe
or EuSe2) as well as shape control (blocks or nanosheets)
and investigated the mechanism of nanosheet growth. The materials
were characterized structurally using powder diffraction and microscopy
(scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic
force microscopy) as well as optical methods (UV–visible spectroscopy
and Raman spectroscopy). The most interesting were the anisotropic
magnetic nanosheet properties, both χ­(T) and M­(H). Using drop-cast
films with high preferred orientation, it was possible to determine
differences in the nanosheet magnetic properties both parallel and
perpendicular to the plane of the nanosheet (along the c-axis). We observed easy-axis antiferromagnetism
along the c-axis and a Néel temperature close
to that of the bulk. In addition, the critical field for the metamagnetic
transition was reduced compared to the bulk.