Predicting layered itinerant magnetic Fe3SiSe2 with spontaneous valley polarization

Abstract

Density functional theory calculations are performed to systematically investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of few-layer and bulk Fe3SiSe2 (FSS). We predict that the bulk FSS has a metallic ground state and a layered structure displaying intralayer ferromagnetic ordering and interlayer antiferromagnetic ordering. The itinerant magnetism in the FSS was determined by the Stoner criterion. Predictions of the absence of unstable phonon modes and a moderate cleavage energy of only 28.3 meV/Å2 suggest the possibility of stabilizing FSS in a monolayer form. The calculated spin–orbit coupling facilitates not only a large magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy, around 500 μeV/Fe, but also spontaneous valley polarization in odd-numbered layer systems. These systems have net magnetic moments as the magnetic moments of AFM-ordered layers are not fully compensated in the odd-numbered layer case and are predicted to show 2D metallic behaviors. The magnitude of the valley polarization in odd-numbered layered systems decreases from 18 meV with layer number but is absent in even-layered structures, thus showing an odd–even oscillation effect. Experimental realization of this bidimensional metallic magnet is, therefore, expected to widen the arena of two-dimensional materials that show exotic phenomena.