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1. Ferrimagnetism and half-metallicity in Cr-substituted Mn _4–x Cr _x Al ₁₁

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-648X/add8d8  

   Noor, M_F B; Law, K-M; Yasmin, N; Hauser, A J; Besara, T (May 2025, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter)

   Abstract Single crystals of disordered Mn_4–xCr_xAl₁₁have been synthesized via the flux method. EDS on several crystals of various sizes and shapes revealed an average molar ratio of 17:9:74 for Mn:Cr:Al, while x-ray diffraction on three different crystals yield compositions Mn_2.26Cr_1.74Al₁₁(Mn_4–xCr_xAl₁₁,x= 1.74), Mn_0.83Cr_3.17Al₁₁, and Mn_1.07Cr_2.93Al₁₁. This compound crystallizes in space group $P\overline{1}$ , isostructural with both Mn₄Al₁₁and Cr₄Al₁₁. Magnetic measurements on several crystals show that this disordered compound is ferrimagnetic with a low effective moment of ${\mu }_{\text{eff}}\approx 1.012\pm 0.004{\mu }_{\text{B}}/\text{f}.\text{u}.$ and a non-reachable transition temperature. Density functional theory calculations display opening of a bandgap in the spin-up channel near the Fermi level with increasing Cr content, an indication of half-metallicity. 

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2. Cr ₂ AlC: A High‐Temperature Transparent Conducting Ceramic

   https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202500931  

   Wang, Baiwei; Jog, Atharv; Fang, Peijiao; Kumar, Sushant; Shu, Rui; Shi, Jian; Sundararaman, Ravishankar; Gall, Daniel (March 2026, Advanced Materials Interfaces)

   ABSTRACT Transparent conductors with high conductivity, optical transparency, and thermal stability are critical for next‐generation optoelectronic devices, yet such materials are scarce. Here, we demonstrate that epitaxial Cr₂AlC(0001)/Al₂O₃(0001) layers exhibit a unique combination of these properties. The optical transmittance of ultrathin layers reaches 85% at 900 nm and remains above 21% across the near‐infrared (NIR)ultraviolet (UV) range, in good agreement with first‐principles optical properties predictions which reveal a small plasma frequency and a low cross‐section for interband transitions. Cr₂AlC has a room‐temperature bulk resistivityρ_o= 42.5 µΩcm and an exceptionally small resistivity scaling with a negligible (<4%) resistivity increase down to 10 nm, an effective bulk electron mean free pathλ< 2 nm at both 295 and 77 K, and a temperature‐independent effectiveρ_oλ< 3 × 10⁻¹⁶Ωm²that is smaller than that of all known elemental metals. An 11.1‐nm‐thick Cr₂AlC layer achieves a benchmarkΦ_TC≈ 0.004 Ω⁻¹in the near infrared (900 nm), comparable to state‐of‐art transparent conductors including ultra‐thin silver and carbon‐based materials. These results, in combination with the known oxidation stability to 1073–1373 K, establish Cr₂AlC as a uniquely robust, high‐temperature stable and scalable transparent conductor, paving the way for advanced extreme‐environment optoelectronics and photonics. 

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3. Electronic structure and magnetic exchange interactions of Cr-based van der Waals ferromagnets. A comparative study between CrBr ₃ and Cr ₂ Ge ₂ Te ₆

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02003F  

   O. Fumega, Adolfo; Blanco-Canosa, S.; Babu-Vasili, H.; Gargiani, P.; Li, Hongze; Zhou, Jian-Shi; Rivadulla, F.; Pardo, Victor (October 2020, Journal of Materials Chemistry C)

   null (Ed.)

   Low dimensional magnetism has been powerfully boosted as a promising candidate for numerous applications. The stability of the long-range magnetic order is directly dependent on the electronic structure and the relative strength of the competing magnetic exchange constants. Here, we report a comparative pressure-dependent theoretical and experimental study of the electronic structure and exchange interactions of two-dimensional ferromagnets CrBr 3 and Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 . While CrBr 3 is found to be a Mott–Hubbard-like insulator, Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 shows a charge-transfer character due to the broader character of the Te 5p bands at the Fermi level. This different electronic behaviour is responsible for the robust insulating state of CrBr 3 , in which the magnetic exchange constants evolve monotonically with pressure, and the proximity to a metal–insulator transition predicted for Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 , which causes a non-monotonic evolution of its magnetic ordering temperature. We provide a microscopic understanding for the pressure evolution of the magnetic properties of the two systems. 

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4. Solvothermal Synthesis of [Cr ₇ S ₈ (en) ₈ Cl ₂ ]Cl ₃  ⋅ 2H ₂ O with Magnetically Frustrated [Cr ₇ S ₈ ] ⁵⁺ Double‐Cubes**

   https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202103761  

   Gamage, Eranga H.; Clark, Judith K.; Yazback, Maher; Cheng, Hai‐Ping; Shatruk, Michael; Kovnir, Kirill (January 2022, Chemistry – A European Journal)
5. Enhanced ferromagnetism in monolayer Cr ₂ Te ₃ via topological insulator coupling

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6633/add9c5  

   Ou, Yunbo; Mirzhalilov, Murod; Nemes, Norbert M; Martinez, Jose L; Rocci, Mirko; Duong, Alexander; Akey, Austin; Foucher, Alexandre C; Ge, Wenbo; Suri, Dhavala; et al (May 2025, Reports on Progress in Physics)

   Abstract Exchange-coupled interfaces are pivotal in exploiting two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetism. Due to the extraordinary correlations among charge, spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom, layered magnetic transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) bode well for exotic topological phenomena. Here we report the realization of wafer-scale Cr₂Te₃down to monolayer (ML) on insulating SrTiO₃(111) and/or Al₂O₃(001) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. Robust ferromagnetism persists in the 2D limit. In particular, the Curie temperatureT_Cof 2 ML Cr₂Te₃increases from 100 K to ∼120 K when proximitized to topological insulator (TI) (Bi,Sb)₂Te₃, with substantially boosted magnetization as observed via polarized neutron reflectometry. Our experiments and theory strongly indicate that the Bloembergen–Rowland interaction is likely universal underlyingT_Cenhancement in TI-coupled magnetic heterostructures. The topological-surface-enhanced magnetism in 2D TMC enables further exchange coupling physics and quantum hybrid studies, including paving the way to realize interface-modulated topological electronics. 

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