Magnetocaloric effect observations near room temperature in few-layered chromium telluride (Cr₂Te₃)

Transition metal telluride compositions are explored extensively for their unique magnetic behavior. Few-layered chromium telluride (Cr₂Te₃) exhibits a near-room-temperature phase transition, where the material can be effectively used in applications such as magnetic refrigeration. Compared to existing magnetocaloric materials, Heusler alloys, and rare-earth-based alloys, the large-scale synthesis of mechanically exfoliated Cr₂Te₃ involves less complexity, resulting in a stable composition. Compared to existing tellurides, Cr₂Te₃ exhibited a large change in magnetic entropy (|ΔS_M|) of 1.88 J kg^-1 K^-1 at a magnetic field of 4 T. A refrigeration capacity (RC) of ∼82 J kg^-1 was determined from the change in magnetic entropy versus temperature curve. The results were comparable with those for existing Cr-based compounds. First-principles density functional theory (DFT) confirmed the magnetic properties of Cr₂Te₃, including a near-room-temperature Curie temperature, T_C, consistent with experimental results. Structural transition was also observed using first-principles DFT, which is responsible for the magnetic behavior.