Electron-Beam- and Thermal-Annealing-Induced Structural Transformations in Few-Layer MnPS₃

Quasi-two-dimensional (2D) manganese phosphorus trisulfide, MnPS₃, which exhibits antiferromagnetic ordering, is a particularly interesting material in the context of magnetism in a system with reduced dimensionality and its potential technological applications. Here, we present an experimental and theoretical study on modifying the properties of freestanding MnPS₃ by local structural transformations via electron irradiation in a transmission electron microscope and by thermal annealing under vacuum. In both cases we find that MnS_1-P phases (0 ≤ x < 1) form in a crystal structure different from that of the host material, namely that of the α- or γ-MnS type. These phase transformations can both be locally controlled by the size of the electron beam as well as by the total applied electron dose and simultaneously imaged at the atomic scale. For the MnS structures generated in this process, our ab initio calculations indicate that their electronic and magnetic properties strongly depend on both in-plane crystallite orientation and thickness. Moreover, the electronic properties of the MnS phases can be further tuned by alloying with phosphorus. Therefore, our results show that electron beam irradiation and thermal annealing can be utilized to grow phases with distinct properties starting from freestanding quasi-2D MnPS₃.