Effects of dimensionality on the magnetic behavior of cobalt-intercalated 2H-TaS₂

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) intercalated with first-row transition metals are potential candidates for integration into future spintronic devices due to their rich magnetic behavior. These systems exhibit a myriad of magnetic properties, governed by the intercalant identity and stoichiometry, and the choice of the host lattice. Though these degrees of freedom afford exceptional tunability, it is challenging to examine dimensionality effects in these systems. Namely, it is difficult to obtain two-dimensional (2D) analogs of these crystals with mechanical exfoliation due to the strong bonds between the layers and the intercalants. In this work, we successfully prepare atomically thin samples of Co_xTaS₂ by intercalating cobalt into ultrathin 2H-TaS₂ with a soft chemistry approach. To examine the synthesized materials, we employ variable-temperature transport, transmission electron microscopy, and confocal Raman spectroscopy to understand the effects of dimensionality, degree of intercalation, and intercalant (dis)order on the magnetic behavior of Co_x­TaS₂.