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Reversal of magnetism through stretching
Ribbons of the two-dimensional semiconductor chromium sulfur bromide (CrSBr) change their magnetization when stretched. Researchers from the SNI network recently published in the scientific journal Nano Letters how they selectively stretch thin CrSBr ribbons of a few atomic layers and observe them using a cantilever probe with an integrated superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The researchers were able to show that the layered, two-dimensional CrSBr loses its antiferromagnetic properties due to stretching and becomes a ferromagnet. The researchers reproduced this change in magnetization and domain formation using a micromagnetic model.
The results of the teams led by Prof. Patrick Maletinsky and Prof. Martino Poggio (both from the Department of Physics and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute at the University of Basel) show the significant influence that also unintentional stretching of CrSBr ribbons produced by exfoliation can have on the magnetic properties.
The van der Waals material chromium sulfur bromide, which consists of different stacked layers, is of interest to science as it has some unique properties—such as the ability to control spin and charge properties and stability in ambient conditions. Therefore, it is being investigated for various applications in spintronics, optoelectronics, and sensor technology.
Original publication
Imaging Strain-Controlled Magnetic Reversal in Thin CrSBr
Kousik Bagani, Andriani Vervelaki, Daniel Jetter, Aravind Devarakonda, Märta A. Tschudin, Boris Gross, Daniel G. Chica, David A. Broadway, Cory R. Dean, Xavier Roy, Patrick Maletinsky, Martino Poggio
Nano Letters 2024, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03919