Electronic structures and magnetism in van der Waals flat-band material

Institute for Applied Physics and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing Beijing 100083, China

Received: 27 March 2025
Accepted: 24 July 2025

Abstract

The study of magnetism in two-dimensional materials has garnered significant interest, driven by fundamental investigations into low-dimensional magnetic phenomena and their potential for applications in spintronic devices. Through dynamical mean-field theory calculations, we demonstrate that Ni₃GeTe₂ exhibits flat-band characteristics resulting from the geometric frustration of its layered triangular lattice. These flat bands are further renormalized due to electronic correlation. Our calculations reveal that the magnetic order of Ni atoms is significantly influenced by both the Coulomb interaction and Hund's coupling, indicating that the physics of Ni atoms is situated in an intermediate region between Hundness and Mottness. Additionally, our results show that Ni atoms experience significant spin fluctuations in their local moments, maintaining paramagnetism at low temperatures. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of Ni vacancy, finding a substantial suppression of the density of states at the Fermi level. The physical mechanisms uncovered by our study provide a comprehensive understanding of the novel properties in this material.