Description
VCl3 is a newly synthesized layered van der Waals magnet in the vanadium trihalide family. Using high-quality single crystals, we combined thermodynamic measurements, magnetization, and single-crystal neutron diffraction to determine its structural and magnetic properties. VCl3 crystallizes in a BiI3-type structure at room temperature and undergoes a structural phase transition at TS = 103.7 K, followed by antiferromagnetic ordering below TN = 21.8 K. Neutron diffraction identifies a zigzag antiferromagnetic ground state with propagation vector k = (0, 0.5, 1). The ordered V3+ moments are mainly oriented along the c axis but are canted by about 21° toward the a axis, giving a total ordered moment of 1.09 μB per V3+. Field-dependent magnetization reveals strong anisotropy and a plateau-like feature near half magnetization for fields along the c axis, indicating an unconventional field-induced magnetic phase. These findings establish VCl3 as a promising platform for exploring anisotropic magnetism and field-tunable phases in vanadium-based honeycomb magnets.
