Pressure-induced superconductivity and structural transition in ferromagnetic CrSiTe3

The discovery of intrinsic magnetism in atomically thin two-dimensional\ntransition-metal trichalcogenides has attracted intense research interest due\nto the exotic properties of magnetism and potential applications in devices.\nPressure has proven to be an effective tool to manipulate the crystal and\nelectronic structures of the materials. Here, we report investigations on\nferromagnetic van der Waals Cr2Si2Te6 via high-pressure synchrotron x-ray\ndiffraction, electrical resistance, Hall resistance, and magnetoresistance\nmeasurements. Under compression, Cr2Si2Te6 simultaneously undergoes a\nstructural transition, emergence of superconductivity at 3 K, sign change of\nthe magnetoresistance, and dramatic change of the Hall coefficient at ~8 GPa.\nThe superconductivity persists up to the highest measured pressure of 47.1 GPa\nwith a maximum Tc = 4.5 K at ~30 GPa. The discovery of superconductivity in the\ntwo-dimensional van der Waals ferromagnetic Cr-based Cr2Si2Te6 provides new\nperspectives to explore superconductivity and the interplay between\nsuperconductivity and magnetism.\n