Air-Stable 2D Cr5Te8 Nanosheets with Thickness-Tunable Ferromagnetism

2D magnetic materials have aroused widespread research interest owing to their promising application in spintronic devices. However, exploring new kinds of 2D magnetic materials with better stability and realizing their batch synthesis remain challenging. Herein, the synthesis of air-stable 2D Cr5Te8 ultrathin crystals with tunable thickness via tube-in-tube chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth technology is reported. The importance of tube-in-tube CVD growth, which can significantly suppress the equilibrium shift to the decomposition direction and facilitate that to the synthesis reaction direction, for the synthesis of high-quality Cr5Te8 with accurate composition, is highlighted. By precisely adjusting the growth temperature, the thickness of Cr5Te8 nanosheets is tuned from approximate to 1.2 nm to tens of nanometers, with the morphology changing from triangles to hexagons. Furthermore, magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements reveal that the Cr5Te8 nanosheet is ferromagnetic with strong out-of-plane spin polarization. The Curie temperature exhibits a monotonic increase from 100 to 160 K as the Cr5Te8 thickness increases from 10 to 30 nm and no apparent variation in surface roughness or magnetic properties after months of exposure to air. This study provides a robust method for the controllable synthesis of high-quality 2D ferromagnetic materials, which will facilitate research progress in spintronics.

Automated summary

The study successfully synthesized air-stable 2D Cr5Te8 ultrathin crystals with tunable thickness using tube-in-tube CVD growth technology, showing good stability. By adjusting the growth temperature, the thickness of Cr5Te8 nanosheets can be precisely tuned with ferromagnetic properties, providing a robust method for the controllable synthesis of high-quality 2D ferromagnetic materials and facilitating research progress in spintronics.