Publications by authors named "Aravind Puthirath Balan"

The exchange bias phenomenon, inherent in exchange-coupled ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic systems, has intrigued researchers for decades. Van der Waals materials, with their layered structures, offer an ideal platform for exploring exchange bias. However, effectively manipulating exchange bias in van der Waals heterostructures remains challenging.

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Two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures are an attractive platform for studying exchange bias due to their defect-free and atomically flat interfaces. Chromium thiophosphate (CrPS), an antiferromagnetic material, possesses uncompensated magnetic spins in a single layer, rendering it a promising candidate for exploring exchange bias phenomena. Recent findings have highlighted that naturally oxidized vdW ferromagnetic FeGeTe exhibits exchange bias, attributed to the antiferromagnetic coupling of its ultrathin surface oxide layer (O-FGT) with the underlying unoxidized FeGeTe.

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Two-dimensional (2D) materials are known to have low-friction interfaces by reducing the energy dissipated by sliding contacts. While this is often attributed to van der Waals (vdW) bonding of 2D materials, nanoscale and quantum confinement effects can also act to modify the atomic interactions of a 2D material, producing unique interfacial properties. Here, we demonstrate the low-friction behavior of magnetene, a non-vdW 2D material obtained via the exfoliation of magnetite, showing statistically similar friction to benchmark vdW 2D materials.

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The discovery of ferromagnetism in atomically thin layers at room temperature widens the prospects of 2D materials for device applications. Recently, two independent experiments demonstrated magnetic ordering in two dissimilar 2D systems, CrI and Cr Ge Te , at low temperatures and in VSe at room temperature, but observation of intrinsic room-temperature magnetism in 2D materials is still a challenge. Here a transition at room temperature that increases the magnetization in magnetite while thinning down the bulk material to a few atom-thick sheets is reported.

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With the advent of graphene, the most studied of all two-dimensional materials, many inorganic analogues have been synthesized and are being exploited for novel applications. Several approaches have been used to obtain large-grain, high-quality materials. Naturally occurring ores, for example, are the best precursors for obtaining highly ordered and large-grain atomic layers by exfoliation.

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