- Letter
Enhanced ferromagnetism in an artificially stretched lattice in quasi-two-dimensional
Phys. Rev. B 111, L020402 – Published 7 January, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.111.L020402
Abstract
Crystal lattice is key in understanding magnetic interactions between atoms in solids. As the effective control of the lattice via tensile stress is limited, there are only a few demonstrations of controlling magnetic properties by expanding the lattice. This study reveals a clear correlation between enhanced magnetism, where Curie temperature () is doubled from ∼60 to ∼120 K, and lattice expansion in prototypical van der Waals magnet with sputtered dielectric overlayers NiO and MgO. We ascribe the mechanism of this increase to a change in exchange interactions induced by strain, studied by several experimental probes and computational approaches.