Two-dimensional magnetism has long intrigued and motivated researchers for its potential to unleash new states of matter and utility in nano-devices.
In part the excitement is driven by predictions that the magnetic moments of electrons鈥�known as 鈥渟pins鈥�鈥�would no longer be able to align in perfectly clean systems. This enhancement in the strengths of the excitations could unleash numerous new states of mater, and enable novel forms of quantum computing.
A key challenge has been the successful fabrication of perfectly clean systems and their incorporation with other materials. However, for more than a decade, materials known as 鈥渧an der Waals鈥� crystals, held together by friction, have been used to isolate single-atom-thick layers leading to numerous new physical effects and applications.
Recently this class has been expanded to include magnetic materials, and it may offer one of the most ambitious platforms yet in scientific efforts to investigate and manipulate phases of matter at the nanoscale, researchers from Boston College, the University of Tennessee, and Seoul National University, write in the latest edition of the journal聽Nature.
Two-dimensional magnetism, the subject of theoretical explorations and experimentation for the past 80 years, is enjoying a resurgence thanks to a group of materials and compounds that are relatively plentiful and easy to manipulate, according to Boston College Associate Professor of Physics Kenneth Burch, a first author of the article "Magnetism in two-dimensional van der Waals materials."
Kenneth Burch
The most oft-cited example of these materials is graphene, a crystal constructed in uniform, atom-thick layers. A procedure as simple as applying a piece of scotch tape to the crystal can remove a single layer, providing a thin, uniform section to serve as a platform to create novel materials with a range of physical properties open to manipulation.
"What鈥檚 amazing about these 2-D materials is they鈥檙e so flexible,鈥� said Burch. 鈥淏ecause they are so flexible, they give you this huge array of possibilities. You can make combinations you could not dream of before. You can just try them. You don鈥檛 have to spend this huge amount of time and money and machinery trying to grow them. A student working with tape puts them together. That adds up to this exciting opportunity people dreamed of for a long time, to be able to engineer these new phases of matter."
At that single layer, researchers have focused on spin, what Burch refers to as the "magnetic moment" of an electron. While the charge of an electron can be used to send two signals鈥�either "off" or "on," results represented as either zero or one鈥�spin excitations offer multiple points of control and measurement, an exponential expansion of the potential to signal, store or transmit information in the tiniest of spaces.
鈥淥ne of the big efforts now is to try to switch the way we do computations,鈥� said Burch. 鈥淣ow we record whether the charge of the electron is there or it isn鈥檛. Since every electron has a magnetic moment, you can potentially store information using the relative directions of those moments, which is more like a compass with multiple points. You don鈥檛 just get a one and a zero, you get all the values in between.鈥�
Potential applications lie in the areas of new 鈥渜uantum鈥� computers, sensing technologies, semiconductors, or high-temperature superconductors.
鈥淭he point of our perspective is that there has been a huge emphasis on devices and trying to pursue these 2-D materials to make these new devices, which is extremely promising,鈥� said Burch. 鈥淏ut what we point out is magnetic 2D atomic crystals can also realize the dream of engineering these new phases鈥�superconducting, or magnetic or topological phases of matter, that is really the most exciting part. It is not just fundamentally interesting to realize these theorems that have been around for 40 years. These new phases would have applications in various forms of computing, whether in spintronics, producing high temperature superconductors, magnetic and optical sensors and in topological quantum computing.鈥�
Burch and his colleagues鈥�the University of Tennessee鈥檚 David Mandrus and Seoul National University鈥檚 Je-Geun Park鈥�outline four major directions for research into magnetic van der Waals materials:
- Discovering new materials with specific functionality. New materials
with isotropic or complex magnetic interactions, could play significant
roles in the development of new supercondcutors. - These new materials can also lead to a deeper understanding of
fundamental issues in condensed matter physics, serving as unique
platforms for experimentation. - The materials will be tested for the potential to become unique
devices, capable of delivering novel applications. The two-dimensional
structure of these materials makes them more receptive to external
signals. - These materials possess quantum and topological phases that could
potentially lead to exotic states, such as quantum spin liquids,
鈥渟kyrmions,鈥� or new iterations of superconductivity.
Germano Iannacchione, a National Science Foundation (NSF) program officer who oversees grants to Burch and other materials scientists, said the co-authors offer the broader community of scientists ideas that can serve to guide a dynamic field pushing beyond boundaries in materials research.
"Magnetism in 2D van Der Waals materials has grown into a vibrant field of study," said Iannacchione. "Its investigators have matured from highly focused researchers to statesmen shepherding a field, broadening applications into as many channels as possible. The review captures the multiplicative aspect of steady, focused, and sometimes risky research that opens vast new frontiers, with tremendous potential for applications in quantum computing and spintronics."
For more information, the full article can be found in Nature: "Magnetism in two-dimensional van der Waals materials,"聽
Ed Hayward | University Communications