Large Anisotropic Magnetoresistance and Magnetic properties of Single Crystalline, Tb₂Al₃Si₂

Large magnetoresistance (LMR) materials, with their remarkable ability, are increasingly pivotal in various cutting-edge applications spanning from data storage technology to magnetic sensing and spintronic devices. The compound Tb₂Al₃Si₂ crystallizes in the C-centered monoclinic YAl₃Si₂-type, which contains wavy layers of Al and Si atoms linked together by additional Al atoms and linear Si-Al-Si bonds, has been reported to show antiferromagnetic order below T_N~16 K. However, there is a lack of extensive data concerning its magnetic and transport characteristics. In response to this deficit, we grew high-quality single crystals through the self-flux method, resulting in needle-shaped formations. Magnetic and transport measurements were carried out with the magnetic field aligned parallel and perpendicular to the needle's presumed direction along the b-axis. Due to the low symmetry (monoclinic), the orientation of the a- and c-axes to the magnetic field remained undetermined. Detailed temperature and field-dependent magnetic and transport results exposed a pronounced magnetic anisotropy in the system. Notably, transport measurements unveiled a substantial anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) in Tb₂Al₃Si₂. We will delve into a thorough discussion of all the aforementioned results to provide a comprehensive understanding of the compound's properties.