The rational combination of existing magnetic topological compounds presents a promising route for designing new topological materials. We report the synthesis and comprehensive characterization of the layered quaternary intergrowth compound Eu2CuZn2As3, which combines structural units of two known magnetic topological materials, EuCuAs and EuZn2As2. Eu2CuZn2As3 exhibits an antiferromagnetic ground state with successive magnetic transitions: quasi-two-dimensional ordering at TM=29.3\,K, long-range antiferromagnetic ordering at TN=19\,K, and spin-reorientation at TSR=16.3\,K. The stepwise magnetic transitions manifest as plateau-like anomalies in the heat capacity. These transitions originate from multiple superexchange pathways and periodic variation of interplane Eu-Eu distances in the intergrowth structure. Charge transport shows a pronounced resistivity increase above TN followed by minimal change below the ordering temperature. Magnetic fields rapidly suppress this resistivity rise, yielding significant negative magnetoresistance. Remarkably, Eu2CuZn2As3 inherits the nonlinear anomalous Hall effect characteristic of its parent compounds. Energy evaluations of collinear spin configurations reveal a lowest-energy state with ferromagnetic coupling between Eu planes in EuCuAs units while maintaining antiferromagnetic coupling within EuZn2As2 units. The corresponding electronic structure displays potentially topologically nontrivial features. Our work demonstrates the efficacy of structural hybridization for discovering novel magnetic topological materials and establishes a general strategy for materials discovery.
@article{arxiv.2509.17761,
title = {Design, synthesis, and physical properties of the intergrowth compound Eu$_2$CuZn$_2$As$_3$},
author = {Xiyu Chen and Ziwen Wang and Wuzhang Yang and Jia-Yi Lu and Zhiyu Zhou and Shanshan Wang and Zhi Ren and Guang-Han Cao and Shuai Dong and Zhi-Cheng Wang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2509.17761},
year = {2025}
}