We
report structural properties, physical properties, and the electronic
structure of van der Waals (vdW) crystal VI3. Detailed
analysis reveals that VI3 exhibits a structural transition
from monoclinic C2/m to rhombohedral R3̅ at T
s ≈ 79 K,
similar to CrX3 (X = Cl, Br, I). Below T
s, a long-range ferromagnetic (FM) transition emerges
at T
c ≈ 50 K. The local
moment of V in VI3 is close to the high-spin state V3+ ion (S = 1). Theoretical calculations suggest
that VI3 may be a Mott insulator with a band gap of about
0.90 eV. In addition, VI3 has a relatively small interlayer
binding energy and can be exfoliated easily down to a few layers experimentally.
Therefore, VI3 is a candidate for two-dimensional FM semiconductors.
It also provides a novel platform to explore 2D magnetism and vdW
heterostructures in S = 1 system.