Since the celebrated discovery of graphene 1,2 , the family of two-dimensional (2D) materials has grown to encompass a broad range of electronic properties. Recent additions include spin-valley coupled semiconductors 3 , Ising superconductors 4-6 that can be tuned into a quantum metal 7 , possible Mott insulators with tunable charge-density waves 8 , and topological semi-metals with edge transport 9,10 . Despite this progress, there is still no 2D crystal with intrinsic magnetism 11-16 , which would be useful for many technologies such as sensing, information, and data storage 17 . Theoretically, magnetic order is prohibited in the 2D isotropic Heisenberg model at finite temperatures by the Mermin-Wagner theorem 18 . However, magnetic anisotropy removes this restriction and enables, for instance, the occurrence of 2D Ising ferromagnetism. Here, we use magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy to demonstrate that monolayer chromium triiodide (CrI3) is an Ising ferromagnet with out-of-plane spin orientation. Its Curie temperature of 45 K is only slightly lower than the 61 K of the bulk crystal, consistent with a weak interlayer coupling. Moreover, our studies suggest a layer-dependent magnetic phase transition, showcasing the hallmark thickness-dependent physical properties typical of van der Waals crystals 19-21 . Remarkably, bilayer CrI3 displays suppressed magnetization with a metamagnetic effect 22 , while in trilayer the interlayer ferromagnetism observed in the bulk crystal is restored. Our work creates opportunities for studying magnetism by harnessing the unique features of atomically-thin materials, such as electrical control for realizing magnetoelectronics 13,23 , and van der Waals engineering for novel interface phenomena 17 . Extended DataFigure 1 | Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) measurements of graphite-encapsulated few-layer CrI3. a, Optical microscope image of a bilayer CrI3 flake on 285 nm SiO2. b, AFM data for the CrI3 flake in a encapsulated in graphite, showing a line cut across the flake with a step height of 1.5 nm. c, Optical microscope image of a tri-layer CrI3 flake on 285 nm SiO2. d, AFM data for the CrI3 flake shown in c encapsulated in graphite. A line cut taken across the flake shows a step height of 2.2 nm. All scale bars are 2 µm in length. e and f show the MOKE signal as a function of applied magnetic field for the encapsulated bilayer in b and the encapsulated trilayer in d respectively. Extended Data Figure 2 | Magneto-optical Kerr effect experimental setup. Schematic of the optical setup used to measure Magneto-optical Kerr effect in CrI3 samples. 633 nm optical excitation is provided by a power-stabilized HeNe laser. A mechanical chopper and photoelastic modulator provide intensity and polarization modulation, respectively. The modulated beam is directed through a polarizing beam splitter to the sample, housed in a closed-cycle cryostat at 15 K. A magnetic field is applied at the sample using a 7 T solenoidal superconducting magnet in Farad...

Novel physical phenomena can emerge in low-dimensional nanomaterials. Bulk MoS(2), a prototypical metal dichalcogenide, is an indirect bandgap semiconductor with negligible photoluminescence. When the MoS(2) crystal is thinned to monolayer, however, a strong photoluminescence emerges, indicating an indirect to direct bandgap transition in this d-electron system. This observation shows that quantum confinement in layered d-electron materials like MoS(2) provides new opportunities for engineering the electronic structure of matter at the nanoscale.

Black phosphorus is a layered material in which individual atomic layers are stacked together by Van der Waals interactions, much like bulk graphite 1 . Inside a single layer, each phosphorus atom is covalently bonded with three adjacent phosphorus atoms to form a puckered honeycomb structure [2][3][4] (Fig. 1a). The three bonds take up all three valence electrons of phosphorus, so unlike graphene 5,6 a monolayer black phosphorus (termed "phosphorene") is a semiconductor with a predicted direct band gap of ~ 2 eV at the Γ point of the first Brillouin zone 7 . For few-layer phosphorene, interlayer interactions reduce the band gap for each layer 3 added, and eventually reach ~ 0.3 eV (refs 8-11) for bulk black phosphorus. The direct gap also moves to the Z point as a consequence 7,12 . Such a band structure provides a much needed gap for the field-effect transistor (FET) application of two dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, and the thickness-dependent direct band gap may lead to potential applications in optoelectronics, especially in the infrared regime. In addition, observations of phase transition from semiconductor to metal 13,14 and superconductor under high pressure 15,16 We next fabricate few-layer phosphorene FETs with a back-gate electrode (see Fig. 2a). A scotch tape based mechanical exfoliation method is employed to peel thin flakes from bulk crystal onto degenerately doped silicon wafer covered with a layer of thermally grown silicon dioxide. Optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are used to hunt thin flake samples and determine their thickness (Fig. 2a). The switching behaviour of our few-layer phosphorene transistor at room temperature is characterized in vacuum (~ 10 -6 mBar), in a configuration depicted in -30 V to 0 V, the channel switches from "on" state to "off" state, and a drop in drain current by a factor of ~ 10 5 is observed. The measured drain current modulation is 4 orders of magnitude larger than that in graphene (due to its lack of bandgap), and 5 approaches the value recently reported in MoS2 devices 17 . Such a high drain current modulation makes black phosphorus thin film a promising material for applications in digital electronics 22 . Similar switching behaviour (with varying drain current modulation) is observed on all black phosphorous thin film transistors with thicknesses up to 50 nm. We note that the "on" state current of our devices has not yet reached saturation, due to the fact that the doping level is limited by the break-down electric field of the SiO2 back-gate dielectric. It is therefore possible to achieve even higher drain current modulation by using high-k materials as gate dielectrics for higher doping. Meanwhile, a subthreshold swing (SS) of ~ 5 V/decade is observed, which is much larger than the SS in commercial Si-based devices (~ 70 mV/decade).We note that the SS in our devices varies from sample to sample (from ~ 3.7 V/decade to ~ 13.3 V/decade), and is on the same order of magnitude as reported in multilayerMoS2 devices with a simila...

We investigate electronic transport in lithographically patterned graphene ribbon structures where the lateral confinement of charge carriers creates an energy gap near the charge neutrality point. Individual graphene layers are contacted with metal electrodes and patterned into ribbons of varying widths and different crystallographic orientations. The temperature dependent conductance measurements show larger energy gaps opening for narrower ribbons. The sizes of these energy gaps are investigated by measuring the conductance in the nonlinear response regime at low temperatures. We find that the energy gap scales inversely with the ribbon width, thus demonstrating the ability to engineer the band gap of graphene nanostructures by lithographic processes.

The electronic bandgap is an intrinsic property of semiconductors and insulators that largely determines their transport and optical properties. As such, it has a central role in modern device physics and technology and governs the operation of semiconductor devices such as p-n junctions, transistors, photodiodes and lasers. A tunable bandgap would be highly desirable because it would allow great flexibility in design and optimization of such devices, in particular if it could be tuned by applying a variable external electric field. However, in conventional materials, the bandgap is fixed by their crystalline structure, preventing such bandgap control. Here we demonstrate the realization of a widely tunable electronic bandgap in electrically gated bilayer graphene. Using a dual-gate bilayer graphene field-effect transistor (FET) and infrared microspectroscopy, we demonstrate a gate-controlled, continuously tunable bandgap of up to 250 meV. Our technique avoids uncontrolled chemical doping and provides direct evidence of a widely tunable bandgap-spanning a spectral range from zero to mid-infrared-that has eluded previous attempts. Combined with the remarkable electrical transport properties of such systems, this electrostatic bandgap control suggests novel nanoelectronic and nanophotonic device applications based on graphene.