Discovery of Two Families of Vsb-Based Compounds with V-Kagome Lattice

We report the structure and physical properties of two newly discovered compounds AV8Sb12 and AV6Sb6 (A = Cs, Rb), which have C 2 (space group: Cmmm) and C 3 (space group: R 3 ¯ m ) symmetry, respectively. The basic V-kagome unit appears in both compounds, but stacking differently. A V2Sb2 layer is sandwiched between two V3Sb5 layers in AV8Sb12, altering the V-kagome lattice and lowering the symmetry of kagome layer from hexagonal to orthorhombic. In AV6Sb6, the building block is a more complex slab made up of two half-V3Sb5 layers that are intercalated by Cs cations along the c-axis. Transport property measurements demonstrate that both compounds are nonmagnetic metals, with carrier concentrations at around 1021 cm−3. No superconductivity has been observed in CsV8Sb12 above 0.3 K under in situ pressure up to 46 GPa. Compared to CsV3Sb5, theoretical calculations and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveal a quasi-two-dimensional electronic structure in CsV8Sb12 with C 2 symmetry and no van Hove singularities near the Fermi level. Our findings will stimulate more research into V-based kagome quantum materials.

Intercalated architecture of MA2Z4 family layered van der Waals materials with emerging topological, magnetic and superconducting properties

The search for new two-dimensional monolayers with diverse electronic properties has attracted growing interest in recent years. Here, we present an approach to construct MA2Z4 monolayers with a septuple-atomic-layer structure, that is, intercalating a MoS2-type monolayer MZ2 into an InSe-type monolayer A2Z2. We illustrate this unique strategy by means of first-principles calculations, which not only reproduce the structures of MoSi2N4 and MnBi2Te4 that were already experimentally synthesized, but also predict 72 compounds that are thermodynamically and dynamically stable. Such an intercalated architecture significantly reconstructs the band structures of the constituents MZ2 and A2Z2, leading to diverse electronic properties for MA2Z4, which can be classified according to the total number of valence electrons. The systems with 32 and 34 valence electrons are mostly semiconductors. Whereas, those with 33 valence electrons can be nonmagnetic metals or ferromagnetic semiconductors. In particular, we find that, among the predicted compounds, (Ca,Sr)Ga2Te4 are topologically nontrivial by both the standard density functional theory and hybrid functional calculations. While VSi2P4 is a ferromagnetic semiconductor and TaSi2N4 is a type-I Ising superconductor. Moreover, WSi2P4 is a direct gap semiconductor with peculiar spin-valley properties, which are robust against interlayer interactions. Our study thus provides an effective way of designing septuple-atomic-layer MA2Z4 with unusual electronic properties to draw immediate experimental interest.

Spin–orbit torque nano-oscillator with giant magnetoresistance readout

Spin-orbit torque nano-oscillators based on bilayers of ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic metals are ultra-compact current-controlled microwave signal sources. They are attractive for practical applications such as microwave assisted magnetic recording, neuromorphic computing, and chip-to-chip wireless communications. However, a major drawback of these devices is low output microwave power arising from the relatively small anisotropic magnetoresistance of the ferromagnetic layer. Here we experimentally show that the output power of a spin-orbit torque nano-oscillator can be significantly enhanced without compromising its structural simplicity. Addition of a ferromagnetic reference layer to the oscillator allows us to employ current-in-plane giant magnetoresistance to boost the output power of the device. This enhancement of the output power is a result of both large magnitude of giant magnetoresistance compared to that of anisotropic magnetoresistance and their different angular dependencies. Our results hold promise for practical applications of spin-orbit torque nano-oscillators.

Giant intrinsic spin Hall effect in W3Ta and other A15 superconductors

The spin Hall effect (SHE) is the conversion of charge current to spin current, and nonmagnetic metals with large SHEs are extremely sought after for spintronic applications, but their rarity has stifled widespread use. Here, we predict and explain the large intrinsic SHE in β-W and the A15 family of superconductors: W3Ta, Ta3Sb, and Cr3Ir having spin Hall conductivities (SHCs) of −2250, −1400, and 1210 ℏe(S/cm), respectively. Combining concepts from topological physics with the dependence of the SHE on the spin Berry curvature (SBC) of the electronic bands, we propose a simple strategy to rapidly search for materials with large intrinsic SHEs based on the following ideas: High symmetry combined with heavy atoms gives rise to multiple Dirac-like crossings in the electronic structure; without sufficient symmetry protection, these crossings gap due to spin-orbit coupling; and gapped crossings create large SBC.

Tunable magnetic ground states of iron monolayer on nonmagnetic metallic substrates by small in-plane strains

The magnetic states of one single atomic layer of iron epitaxially grown on 4d and 5d nonmagnetic metals are studied under strain systematically using first principle calculations.