Strain-tunable ferromagnetism and skyrmions in two-dimensional Janus Cr2XYTe6 (X, Y = Si, Ge, Sn, and X≠Y) monolayers.

By using first-principles calculations and micromagnetic simulations, we investigate the electronic structure, magnetic properties, and skyrmions in two-dimensional Janus Cr 2 XYTe 6 (X,Y = Si, Ge, Sn, X ≠ Y) monolayers. Our findings reveal that the Cr 2 XYTe 6 monolayers are ferromagnetic semiconductors with a high Curie temperature (T c). The bandgap and T c can be further increased by applying tensile strain. In addition, there is a transition from the ferromagnetic to the antiferromagnetic state at a compressive strain. Both Cr 2 SiSnTe 6 and Cr 2 SiGeTe 6 exhibit a large magnetic anisotropy energy, which are mainly associated with the significant spin–orbit coupling of the nonmagnetic Te atoms rather than that of the magnetic Cr atoms. Interestingly, the Cr 2 SiSnTe 6 monolayer exhibits a significant Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction of 1.12 meV, which facilitates the formation of chiral domain walls and skyrmions. Furthermore, under tensile strain, chiral DWs can be transformed into skyrmions if applying an external magnetic field. These findings suggest that Janus Cr 2 XYTe 6 monolayers hold promise for spintronic nanodevice applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]