Electronic and Magnetic Anisotropy of Layered IrTe$_{\mathrm{2}}$ Single Crystals*

Layered IrTe$_{\mathrm{2}}$ is known to exhibit extremely rich physical properties with two successive phase transitions at T$_{\mathrm{1}}$ \textasciitilde 280 K and T$_{\mathrm{2}}$ \textasciitilde 180 K. We have grown IrTe$_{\mathrm{2}}$ single crystals with typical sizes of 4×5×1.2 mm$^{\mathrm{3}}$. This allows us to experimentally investigate physical properties along different directions. While the lattice parameter ratio c/a is small, both electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility show much higher anisotropy. In particular, we only observe resistivity and susceptibility anomaly along the ab plane at T$_{\mathrm{2}}$, indicating the 2D character of electronic and magnetic properties at low temperatures.