Colossal magnetoresistance in narrow-gap magnetic semiconductor Eu2CdAs2
Abstract
Discovering antiferromagnetic materials with a sizable colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) effect and precisely tuning their responses remain significant challenges in materials science. This work reports the synthesis, phase transitions, and magnetotransport properties of the narrow-gap Zintl arsenide Eu2CdAs2. The compound undergoes antiferromagnetic ordering at TN = 9 K and exhibits semiconducting behavior with a low-temperature activation energy of 3.2 meV, achieving a large CMR effect of −104% at 9 T. Below TN, a distinct butterfly-shaped magnetoresistance hysteresis emerges without any macroscopic ferromagnetic order, revealing a transport anomaly likely dictated by AFM domain dynamics and/or the formation and percolation of localized magnetic polarons. Furthermore, a systematic survey of reported Eu-based Zintl phases uncovers a nearly exponential scaling trend between the maximum CMR magnitude and the low-temperature activation energy. This correlation demonstrates that bandgap engineering serves as an effective strategy for tailoring magnetotransport, establishing Eu-containing Zintl phases as a versatile platform for exploring and manipulating CMR effects.
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BibTeX
@misc{zhou2026colossal,
title = {{Colossal magnetoresistance in narrow-gap magnetic semiconductor Eu$_2$CdAs$_2$}},
author = {Zhiyu Zhou and Zhi-Cheng Wang and Xiyu Chen and Xin-Yu Zhao and Yaran Duan and Shiran Tao and Guang-Han Cao and Shuai Dong},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.39218},
eprint = {2610.39218},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.39218},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Colossal magnetoresistance in narrow-gap magnetic semiconductor Eu_2CdAs_2
AU - Zhiyu Zhou
AU - Zhi-Cheng Wang
AU - Xiyu Chen
AU - Xin-Yu Zhao
AU - Yaran Duan
AU - Shiran Tao
AU - Guang-Han Cao
AU - Shuai Dong
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.39218
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.39218
AB - Discovering antiferromagnetic materials with a sizable colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) effect and precisely tuning their responses remain significant challenges in materials science. This work reports the synthesis, phase transitions, and magnetotransport properties of the narrow-gap Zintl arsenide Eu_2CdAs_2. The compound undergoes antiferromagnetic ordering at T_N = 9 K and exhibits semiconducting behavior with a low-temperature activation energy of 3.2 meV, achieving a large CMR effect of −10^4% at 9 T. Below T_N, a distinct butterfly-shaped magnetoresistance hysteresis emerges without any macroscopic ferromagnetic order, revealing a transport anomaly likely dictated by AFM domain dynamics and/or the formation and percolation of localized magnetic polarons. Furthermore, a systematic survey of reported Eu-based Zintl phases uncovers a nearly exponential scaling trend between the maximum CMR magnitude and the low-temperature activation energy. This correlation demonstrates that bandgap engineering serves as an effective strategy for tailoring magnetotransport, establishing Eu-containing Zintl phases as a versatile platform for exploring and manipulating CMR effects.
ER -