Metallicity and eight-fold magnetic anisotropy of under the single-layer limit
Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 074402 – Published 6 July, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/qy7k-16ht
Abstract
Controlling magnetic anisotropy (MA) in two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic metals is crucial for the development of spintronic devices, yet simultaneously stabilizing strong magnetism and well-defined anisotropy in the monolayer limit remains a major challenge. Previous studies have shown that tuning the STO layer thickness in (SRO/STO) superlattices can induce eightfold MA, but it remains unclear whether this behavior originates from the intrinsic properties of the isolated monolayer or relies on periodic interlayer coupling. In this work, we address this issue by synthesizing superlattices and STO-capped monolayer SRO films. Our experiments reveal that changing the STO layer thickness can systematically tune the MA in the superlattices; more importantly, the STO-capped isolated monolayer simultaneously exhibits metallic transport, robust ferromagnetism, and pronounced eightfold MA with easy axes along the directions. These results demonstrate that single-layer SRO can stabilize a 2D correlated ferromagnetic metal and maintain eightfold MA in the fully decoupled limit, indicating that this symmetry does not rely on superlattices periodicity. Our study thus reveals an intrinsic property of single-layer SRO and provides key experimental evidence for understanding correlation-driven MA in ultrathin itinerant ferromagnets.