Pressure-induced superconductivity and structural transition in ferromagnetic CrSiTe3

Layered structural materials have been a fertile playground to investigate mechanisms of fundamental physics and explore potential applications. Here, we report investigations on ferromagnetic van der Waals CrSiTe3 via high-pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction, electrical resistance, and magnetoresistance measurements. Under compression, CrSiTe3 undergoes an insulator-metal transition and a structural transition at similar to 7.5 GPa. Concomitantly with the structural transition, the magnetoresistance changes sign, the negative Hall coefficient increases dramatically, and superconductivity emerges at 3 K. The superconductivity persists up to the highest measured pressure of 47.1 GPa with a maximum T-c approximate to 4.5 K at similar to 30 GPa. Our results suggest that CrSiTe3 is paramagnetic in the pressure range of superconductivity. The discoveries of superconductivity and magnetic transition in ferromagnetic CrSiTe3 under pressure provide new perspectives to explore the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism in Cr-based two-dimensional van der Waals materials.