Niu, Ben Su, Tang Francisco, Brian A. Ghosh, Subhajit Kargar, Fariborz Huang, Xiong Lohmann, Mark Li, Junxue Xu, Yadong Taniguchi, Takashi Watanabe, Kenji Wu, Di Balandin, Alexander Shi, Jing Cui, Yong-Tao Coexistence of Magnetic Orders in Two-Dimensional Magnet CrI<sub>3</sub> The magnetic properties in two-dimensional van der Waals materials depend sensitively on structure. CrI<sub>3</sub>, as an example, has been recently demonstrated to exhibit distinct magnetic properties depending on the layer thickness and stacking order. Bulk CrI<sub>3</sub> is ferromagnetic (FM) with a Curie temperature of 61 K and a rhombohedral layer stacking, whereas few-layer CrI<sub>3</sub> has a layered antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase with a lower ordering temperature of 45 K and a monoclinic stacking. In this work, we use cryogenic magnetic force microscopy to investigate CrI<sub>3</sub> flakes in the intermediate thickness range (25–200 nm) and find that the two types of magnetic orders, hence the stacking orders, can coexist in the same flake with a layer of ∼13 nm at each surface being in the layered AFM phase similar to few-layer CrI<sub>3</sub> and the rest in the bulk FM phase. The switching of the bulk moment proceeds through a remnant state with nearly compensated magnetic moment along the <i>c</i>-axis, indicating formation of <i>c</i>-axis domains allowed by a weak interlayer coupling strength in the rhombohedral phase. Our results provide a comprehensive picture on the magnetism in CrI<sub>3</sub> and point to the possibility of engineering magnetic heterostructures within the same material. CrI 3 flakes;few-layer CrI 3;Bulk CrI 3;Two-Dimensional Magnet CrI 3;AFM;bulk moment proceeds;van der Waals materials;CrI 3;bulk FM phase 2019-12-02
    https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Coexistence_of_Magnetic_Orders_in_Two-Dimensional_Magnet_CrI_sub_3_sub_/11307194
10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b04282.s001