Surface Vacancy-Induced Switchable Electric Polarization and Enhanced Ferromagnetism in Monolayer Metal Trihalides.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29668292.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b00314.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Monolayer chromium triiodide (CrI<sub>3</sub>), as the thinnest ferromagnetic material demonstrated in experiment [ Huang et al. Nature 2017 , 546 , 270 ], opens up new opportunities for the application of two-dimensional (2D) materials in spintronic nanodevices. Atom-thick 2D materials with switchable electric polarization are now urgently needed for their rarity and important roles in nanoelectronics. Herein, we unveil that surface I vacancies not only enhance the intrinsic ferromagnetism of monolayer CrI<sub>3</sub> but also induce switchable electric polarization. I vacancies bring about an out-of-plane polarization without breaking the nonmetallic nature of CrI<sub>3</sub>. Meanwhile, the induced polarization can be reversed in a moderate energy barrier, arising from the unique porosity of CrI<sub>3</sub> that contributes to the switch of I vacancies between top and bottom surfaces. Engineering 2D switchable polarization through surface vacancies is also applicable to many other metal trihalides, which opens up a new and general way toward pursuing low-dimensional multifunctional nanodevices.