Magnetic Moments Induced by Atomic Vacancies in Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Flakes

2D magnetism plays a key role in both fundamental physics and potential device applications. However, the instability of the discovered 2D magnetic materials has been one main obstacle in deep research and potential application of 2D magnetism. Here, a localized magnetic moment induced by Pt vacancies in air-stable type-II Dirac semimetal PtSe2 flakes is reported. The localized magnetic moments give rise to the Kondo effect, evidenced by logarithmic increment of resistance with decreasing temperature and isotropic negative longitudinal magnetoresistance. Additionally, the induced magnetic moment and Kondo temperature appear to depend on thickness in the thinner samples (<10 nm). The small magnetocrystalline anisotropy revealed by first-principles calculation indicates that the magnetic moments are randomly localized instead of long-range ordered. The findings demonstrate a new means to induce magnetism in 2D non-magnetic materials.