Researchers led by the University of Cambridge have identified a new form of magnetism in the magnetic element graphene. The discovery could be fundamental to the study of phenomena such as low-dimensional magnetism and superconductivity.
Greater understanding of these topics could enable researchers to be responsible for the next great leaps in materials science and engineering, such as the development of new technologies that could, for example, revolutionize the way computers process information.
Research could help in understanding new magnetic states and superconductivity
Published in the journal Physical Review X, the Cambridge University research used high-pressure techniques to analyze and control the conductivity and magnetism of iron thiophosphate (FePS3), also known as magnetic graphene. This analysis was carried out during the process by which the two-dimensional material is able to transition from insulator to metal, under ultrahigh pressure conditions.
Contrary to previous results, FePS3 remained magnetic when it reached its metallic characteristics. The recent discovery of the magnetic phase at high pressure gives researchers clues about how electrical conduction works in the metallic phase. And the study could be the first step toward understanding the physics of new magnetic states and superconductivity.
And why is it important? Discovered in 1911 by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, superconductivity is a physical property of certain materials that can become almost lossless conductors of electric current by creating magnetic flux fields in the metal. So far, however, superconductivity has only been achieved when these materials are exposed to extremely low temperatures.
Currently, superconductors are used to produce so-called supermagnets. Supermagnets have made it possible to create, for example, magnetic resonance imaging, which avoids exposing patients to radiation and achieves good images. The zero resistance of superconductors is also of great interest to the electrical appliance industry. But these materials must be kept at low temperatures, which still makes them difficult to use. It would therefore be revolutionary to understand new magnetic states and new pathways to superconductivity.
Research co-author and Cavendish Laboratory group leader Dr. Siddharth Saxena explained, "If we can find a type of superconductivity related to magnetism in a two-dimensional material, this could give us the opportunity to solve a problem that has existed for decades." Researchers are continuing to search for superconductivity in magnetic graphene.
Discoveries could change information processing in computers
By coming to understand phenomena such as low-dimensional magnetism and superconductivity, researchers can make great leaps in materials science and engineering. In the future, this could have major implications in areas such as energy efficiency, generation and storage.
The Cambridge University-led study suggests a way for new materials to combine conducting and magnetic properties. Achieving this combination could be useful in developing new technologies such as spintronics. Spintronics proposes the use of a spin current (the part of the electron that is the source of magnetism) instead of a conventional electric current, in areas such as information processing and storage. Achieving this, therefore, could transform the way computers process information.
Dr. Matthew Coak, first author of the research and a researcher at Cambridge Cavendish Laboratory and the University of Warwick, highlighted the possibility of changing all the properties of a material by adding magnetism to it. "A material that could be mechanically flexible and form a new type of circuit to store information and perform calculations. That's why these materials are so interesting and change their properties dramatically when put under pressure, so we can control their behavior," he explained in the publication.
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