Fe and Cr co-intercalation in 2H-NbS2 single crystals for realization of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and large anomalous Hall effect

Recently, many interesting magnetic and electrical properties have been demonstrated in transition-metal intercalated 2H-NbS2/TaS2 layered single crystals. In this work, single crystals of Cr and Fe co-intercalated 2H-NbS2, with the compositions of (Cr1-xFex)(1/3)NbS2 (x = 0.0-1.0), are successfully grown and their magnetic and transport properties are systematically studied. With increasing Fe content, the magnetic transition temperature continually decreases from 117 to 37 K, and the magnetic coupling transforms from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic. Importantly, a rotation of the magnetic easy axis occurs in this process, with perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy and considerable coercive field achieved in the x = 0.13-0.66 compounds. Both x = 0.33 and x = 0.50 exhibit relatively low carrier concentration, stable anomalous Hall effect, and butterfly-shape magnetoresistance. Notably, large anomalous Hall conductivity is identified in x = 0.50, whose origin is discussed from the calculated electronic structures. The realization of perpendicular anisotropy and large anomalous Hall conductivity in this two-dimensional ferromagnetic system can facilitate their future application in spintronic devices.