Tunable ferrimagnetism and electrical transport properties in ferrimagnetic Mn3Si2Te6 through Cr doping

Abstract

The layered ferrimagnet Mn3Si2Te6 has emerged as a paradigm-breaking system combining topological nodal-line band and record-breaking colossal magnetoresistance effect (CMR). Here, we report the doping effects of magnetism and electrical transport properties in Mn3-xCrxSi2Te6. We find the Curie temperature Tc is significantly suppressed from 78 K for undoped sample to 57 K for x = 0.6 sample, and the magnetization and magnetic anisotropy are also suppressed upon Cr doping, respectively. However, for the electrical transport properties, the resistivity is increased monotonously upon Cr doping and the CMR is enhanced for low doped samples, which can be attributed to the strengthened coupling and doping-induced broadening of the activation energy gap. Our work reveals the ferrimagnetism and CMR in Mn3Si2Te6 can be effectively tuned by Cr doping, establishing a tunable knob for designing and modulating desired quantum phases in this layered topological magnet.