Scientists have long treated skyrmions as merely 2D objects. Recent studies, however, have suggested that 2D skyrmions could actually be the genesis of a 3D spin pattern called hopfions. Now, a team of researchers has reported the first demonstration and observation of 3D hopfions emerging from skyrmions at the nanoscale in a magnetic system. Read more »
2D MXene Shows Evidence of a Magnetic Transition
A variety of experiments, including ALS x-ray studies, provided direct evidence of a magnetic transition in a 2D compound called a MXene (pronounced “maxene”). The finding adds new functionality to a family of materials with numerous ways to fine-tune properties for applications ranging from spintronic devices to electromagnetic shielding. Read more »
From Stripes to Skyrmions in a Surprising Material
Researchers showed that tiny bubbles of ordered spins (skyrmions) can be induced to form in a material previously considered incompatible with skyrmion formation. The discovery opens up a new class of material systems that exhibit technologically desirable nanoscale features attractive for spintronic applications. Read more »
Evidence of a magnetic transition in atomically thin Cr2TiC2Tx MXene
2D magnetic materials have recently attracted significant interest as model systems to understand low-dimensional magnetism and for potential spintronic applications. Here, we report on synthesis of Cr2TiC2Tx MXene and a detailed study of its magnetic as well as electronic properties. Read more »
Artificial Antiferromagnets Facilitate Studies of Domain-Wall Motion
Researchers fabricated artificial spin lattices that undergo a paramagnetic-to-antiferromagnetic phase transition. These artificial antiferromagnets enable studies of dynamical properties that are critical to understanding, and ultimately implementing, real-world applications such as advanced computing and data-storage technologies. Read more »
X-Rays Recount Origin of Oddball Meteorites
Reconstructions of 3D patterns of magnetic orientation imprinted in rare meteorites helped resolve questions about their origins. Known as type IIE iron meteorites, they appear to have originated from a parent body that had a composition featuring both fully melted and unmelted parts—other meteorite types display only one composition. Read more »
Unexpected Rise in Ferroelectricity as Material Thins
Researchers showed that hafnium oxide surprisingly exhibits enhanced ferroelectricity (reversible electric polarization) as it gets thinner. The work shifts the focus of ferroelectric studies from more complex, problematic compounds to a simpler class of materials and opens the door to novel ultrasmall, energy-efficient electronics. Read more »
Controlling antiferromagnetic domains in patterned La0.7Sr0.3FeO3 thin films
Antiferromagnetic spintronics have gained interest because they can be controlled at terahertz frequencies and are insensitive to external magnetic fields. Due to dimensional confinement as well as microstructuring by ion implantation, the spin axis of an antiferromagnetic oxide can be robustly controlled in a deterministic way up to room temperature. Read more »
Highly Enhanced Curie Temperature in Ga‐Implanted Fe3GeTe2 van der Waals Material
Researchers report an effective and reliable method of increasing the Curie temperature of ferromagnetic Fe3GeTe2 (FGT) van der Waals (vdW) material by Ga implantation, opening a new opportunity for tailoring the magnetic properties of vdW materials beyond room temperature for future spintronics applications. Read more »
Crystal Misorientation Toughens Human Tooth Enamel
Researchers discovered that, in the nanoscale structure of human enamel (the hard outer layer of teeth), slight crystal misorientations serve as a natural toughening mechanism. The results help explain how human enamel can last a lifetime and provides insight into strategies for designing similarly tough bio-inspired synthetic materials. Read more » 
