Large magnetoresistance at room temperature in the off-stochiometric chalcogenide Cr0.92Te

We present the electronic and magnetic properties of the transition chalcogenide Cr0.92Te. The compound is the hexagonal counterpart to the hypothetical half-metallic ferromagnet CrTe. The off-stochiometric phase crystallizes in the hexagonal NiAs-type structure P63/mmm. New magnetotransport results show a large magnetoresistance (MR) of 5.5% at room temperature in a magnetic field of 8 T. The remarkable MR-effect can be explained with spin-dependent scattering below the Curie temperature.