Ductile Inorganic Ferromagnetic Semiconductor

Ductile/Plastic inorganic semiconductors have garnered significant attention for their potential in flexible electronics, yet their current diversity remains limited, with functionalities largely confined to thermal and/or electrical properties. Here, the first intrinsically ductile/plastic inorganic ferromagnetic semiconductor, bulk CrSiTe₃ van der Waals (vdW) crystals, which combine excellent deformability with ferromagnetism, is reported. Mechanical characterization reveals excellent plasticity at room temperature, with CrSiTe₃ crystals sustaining up to 12% tensile strain, surpassing many existing plastic bulk vdW semiconductors. Below the Curie temperature of 34 K, the material retains ferromagnetic ordering, with plasticity exerting negligible effects on Curie temperature or saturation magnetization. First-principles calculations attribute the exceptional deformability to low interlayer slip energy barriers and high cleavage energy within Te-terminated vdW layers, enabling interlayer gliding without fracture. Monte Carlo simulations confirm that interlayer slip minimally perturbs magnetic interactions, preserving ferromagnetism. This work bridges the gap between mechanical plasticity, semiconductivity, and ferromagnetism in a single material, extending the functionality of plastic inorganic semiconductors.