Pressure-Induced Structural and Magnetic Evolution in Layered Antiferromagnet YbMn2Sb2

Mingyu Xu; Matt Boswell; Aya Rutherford; Cheng Peng; Ying Zhou; Shuyang Wang; Zhaorong Yang; Antonio M. dos Santos; Haidong Zhou; Weiwei Xie

doi:10.1002/aelm.202500820

Pressure-Induced Structural and Magnetic Evolution in Layered Antiferromagnet YbMn₂Sb₂

Mingyu Xu
, Matt Boswell
, Aya Rutherford
, Cheng Peng
, Ying Zhou
, Shuyang Wang
, Zhaorong Yang
, Antonio M. dos Santos
, Haidong Zhou
, Weiwei Xie

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Electronic states under pressure exhibit unconventional spin and charge dynamics that provide a powerful route to uncover exotic phases in quantum materials. Here, we present the structural, magnetic, and electronic evolution of YbMn₂Sb₂ under pressure. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals a pressure-induced structural transition from the space group trigonal P (Formula presented.) m1 to the monoclinic P2₁/m phase near 3.5 GPa, which remains stable up to 10 GPa. Magnetization measurements display an anomalously weak net magnetic moment and the absence of Curie–Weiss behavior up to 400 K, suggesting the formation of short-range Mn moment pairs that cancel macroscopically and subsequently evolve into long-range order upon cooling. Temperature-dependent resistivity shows semiconducting behavior with a transition at ∼119 K at ambient pressure, while pressure induces a dramatic suppression of resistance and the emergence of metallic-like temperature dependence, stabilized beyond 5 GPa. This pressure-driven semiconductor-metal transition is consistent with our density functional theory calculations, confirming the closing of the band gap under compression. Neutron diffraction under pressure identifies an incommensurate magnetic structure with antiparallel correlations between paired spins. Together, these results demonstrate how pressure-driven structural tuning and competing exchange interactions stabilize unconventional magnetic states in this low-dimensional magnetic semiconductor.

Original language	English
Article number	e00820
Journal	Advanced Electronic Materials
Volume	12
Issue number	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.202500820
State	Published - Apr 20 2026

Funding

M.X., M.B., and W.X. at Michigan State University were supported By the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Division of Basic Energy Sciences under contract DE‐SC0023648. C.P. at Michigan State University was supported by (National Science Foundation) NSF‐DMR‐2422361. A.R. and H.D.Z. thank the support from NSF‐DMR‐2003117. Y.Z. was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12204004). S.W. and Z. Y. were supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2023YFA1406102). A portion of this research used resources at the Spallation Neutron Source and the Center for Nanophase Materials Science, both DOE office of science user facility operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The neutron beam time was allocated to SNAP under proposal IPTS‐34311. M.X. M.B. and W.X. at Michigan State University were supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Division of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract DE‐SC0023648. C.P. at Michigan State University was supported by NSF‐DMR‐2422361. A. R. and H.D.Z. thank the support from NSF‐DMR‐2003117. Y.Z. was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (12204004). S.W. and Z. Y. were supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2023YFA1406102). A portion of this research used resources at the Spallation Neutron Source and the Center for Nanophase Materials Science both DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The neutron beam time was allocated to SNAP under proposal IPTS‐34311.

Keywords

antiferromagnetic semiconductor
high pressure
neutron diffraction
single crystal X-ray diffraction

Access to Document

10.1002/aelm.202500820

Cite this

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title = "Pressure-Induced Structural and Magnetic Evolution in Layered Antiferromagnet YbMn2Sb2",

abstract = "Electronic states under pressure exhibit unconventional spin and charge dynamics that provide a powerful route to uncover exotic phases in quantum materials. Here, we present the structural, magnetic, and electronic evolution of YbMn2Sb2 under pressure. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals a pressure-induced structural transition from the space group trigonal P (Formula presented.) m1 to the monoclinic P21/m phase near 3.5 GPa, which remains stable up to 10 GPa. Magnetization measurements display an anomalously weak net magnetic moment and the absence of Curie{\textendash}Weiss behavior up to 400 K, suggesting the formation of short-range Mn moment pairs that cancel macroscopically and subsequently evolve into long-range order upon cooling. Temperature-dependent resistivity shows semiconducting behavior with a transition at ∼119 K at ambient pressure, while pressure induces a dramatic suppression of resistance and the emergence of metallic-like temperature dependence, stabilized beyond 5 GPa. This pressure-driven semiconductor-metal transition is consistent with our density functional theory calculations, confirming the closing of the band gap under compression. Neutron diffraction under pressure identifies an incommensurate magnetic structure with antiparallel correlations between paired spins. Together, these results demonstrate how pressure-driven structural tuning and competing exchange interactions stabilize unconventional magnetic states in this low-dimensional magnetic semiconductor.",

keywords = "antiferromagnetic semiconductor, high pressure, neutron diffraction, single crystal X-ray diffraction",

author = "Mingyu Xu and Matt Boswell and Aya Rutherford and Cheng Peng and Ying Zhou and Shuyang Wang and Zhaorong Yang and \{dos Santos\}, \{Antonio M.\} and Haidong Zhou and Weiwei Xie",

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AU - Xu, Mingyu

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AU - Peng, Cheng

AU - Zhou, Ying

AU - Wang, Shuyang

AU - Yang, Zhaorong

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N2 - Electronic states under pressure exhibit unconventional spin and charge dynamics that provide a powerful route to uncover exotic phases in quantum materials. Here, we present the structural, magnetic, and electronic evolution of YbMn2Sb2 under pressure. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals a pressure-induced structural transition from the space group trigonal P (Formula presented.) m1 to the monoclinic P21/m phase near 3.5 GPa, which remains stable up to 10 GPa. Magnetization measurements display an anomalously weak net magnetic moment and the absence of Curie–Weiss behavior up to 400 K, suggesting the formation of short-range Mn moment pairs that cancel macroscopically and subsequently evolve into long-range order upon cooling. Temperature-dependent resistivity shows semiconducting behavior with a transition at ∼119 K at ambient pressure, while pressure induces a dramatic suppression of resistance and the emergence of metallic-like temperature dependence, stabilized beyond 5 GPa. This pressure-driven semiconductor-metal transition is consistent with our density functional theory calculations, confirming the closing of the band gap under compression. Neutron diffraction under pressure identifies an incommensurate magnetic structure with antiparallel correlations between paired spins. Together, these results demonstrate how pressure-driven structural tuning and competing exchange interactions stabilize unconventional magnetic states in this low-dimensional magnetic semiconductor.

AB - Electronic states under pressure exhibit unconventional spin and charge dynamics that provide a powerful route to uncover exotic phases in quantum materials. Here, we present the structural, magnetic, and electronic evolution of YbMn2Sb2 under pressure. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals a pressure-induced structural transition from the space group trigonal P (Formula presented.) m1 to the monoclinic P21/m phase near 3.5 GPa, which remains stable up to 10 GPa. Magnetization measurements display an anomalously weak net magnetic moment and the absence of Curie–Weiss behavior up to 400 K, suggesting the formation of short-range Mn moment pairs that cancel macroscopically and subsequently evolve into long-range order upon cooling. Temperature-dependent resistivity shows semiconducting behavior with a transition at ∼119 K at ambient pressure, while pressure induces a dramatic suppression of resistance and the emergence of metallic-like temperature dependence, stabilized beyond 5 GPa. This pressure-driven semiconductor-metal transition is consistent with our density functional theory calculations, confirming the closing of the band gap under compression. Neutron diffraction under pressure identifies an incommensurate magnetic structure with antiparallel correlations between paired spins. Together, these results demonstrate how pressure-driven structural tuning and competing exchange interactions stabilize unconventional magnetic states in this low-dimensional magnetic semiconductor.

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