Magnetic Phase Transitions and Magnetoelastic Coupling in a Two-Dimensional Stripy Antiferromagnet

Materials with a quasi-one-dimensional stripy magnetic order often exhibit low crystal and magnetic symmetries, thus allowing the presence of various energy coupling terms and giving rise to macroscopic interplay between spin, charge, and phonon. In this work, we performed optical, electrical and magnetic characterizations combined with first-principles calculations on a van der Waals antiferromagnetic insulator chromium oxychloride (CrOCl). We detected the subtle phase transition behaviors of exfoliated CrOCl under varying temperature and magnetic field and clarified its controversial spin structures. We found that the antiferromagnetism and its air stability persist down to few-layer samples, making it a promising candidate for future 2D spintronic devices. Additionally, we verified the magnetoelastic coupling effect in CrOCl, allowing for the potential manipulation of the magnetic states via electric field or strain. These virtues of CrOCl provide us with an ideal platform for fundamental research on spin-charge, spin-phonon coupling, and spin-interactions.