Magnetism and magnetoelastic effect in 2D van der Waals multiferroic CuCrP2S6

Abstract

We report a magnetic and neutron diffraction study on the ground state magnetism and field evolution of single crystal van der Waals multiferroic CuCrP2S6. The ordered moments align along the b axis in the A-type antiferromagnetic configuration with a spin-flop transition along the same direction. Field application along a introduces a smooth transition to a fully-polarized ferromagnetic state via in-plane spin rotation. These findings resolve the ambiguity of the ground state magnetization direction in CuCrP2S6 and uncover its field responses, providing a firm basis for future magnetoelectric study. A magnetoelastic coupling effect connecting the interlayer spacing and the magnetic order was further revealed, highlighting the out-of-plane strain as an effective control knob for tuning magnetism both in this system and in related van der Waals magnets.