’Magnetic graphene’ switches between insulator and conductor

Researchers have found that certain ultra-thin magnetic materials can switch from insulator to conductor under high pressure, a phenomenon that could be used in the development of next-generation electronics and memory storage devices. Magnetism in two dimensions is almost against the laws of physics, but in this material, it seems to be true Seb Haines The international team of researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, say that their results , reported in the journal Physical Review Letters , will aid in understanding the dynamic relationship between the electronic and structural properties of the material, sometimes referred to as 'magnetic graphene', and may represent a new way to produce two-dimensional materials. Magnetic graphene, or iron trithiohypophosphate (FePS ₃ ), is from a family of materials known as van der Waals materials, and was first synthesised in the 1960s. In the past decade however, researchers have started looking at FePS ₃ with fresh eyes. Similar to graphene - a two-dimensional form of carbon - FePS ₃ can be 'exfoliated' into ultra-thin layers. Unlike graphene however, FePS ₃ is magnetic. The expression for electrons' intrinsic source of magnetism is known as 'spin'.