High Curie-temperature intrinsic ferromagnetism and hole doping-induced half-metallicity in two-dimensional scandium chlorine monolayers

High Curie-temperature ferromagnetic two-dimensional (2D) materials with large spin polarization have been a long-sought goal due to their potential in spintronics applications. Here we report a promising 2D scandium chlorine (ScCl) monolayer with intrinsic ferromagnetism and high Curie temperature up to 185 K, which is much higher than that of the reported CrI3 monolayer (45 K) and the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K). Moreover, a small amount of hole doping can turn the ScCl monolayer into a half-metal and further improves the magnetic moment and Curie temperature. The novel ferromagnetism can also be extended to ScCl bilayers. In addition, the ScCl monolayer possesses excellent thermal and dynamical stabilities and great feasibility of experimental exfoliation from its layered bulk. These intriguing electronic and magnetic properties make the ScCl monolayer a promising candidate for spintronic applications.