Imaging magnetic order in a two-dimensional iron-rich phyllosilicate
Magnetic domain formation in two-dimensional materials offers insight into the fundamentals of magnetism and serves as a catalyst for the advancement of spintronics. In order to propel these developments, it is crucial to acquire an understanding of the evolution of magnetic ordering at the nanometer scale. In particular, two-dimensional magnetic insulators allow for the realization of atomically sharp magnetoresistive tunneling junctions with nonmagnetic electrodes, therefore lifting one of the major constraints for the realization of computing in memory based on magnetoresistive elements. In this study, we visualize magnetic ordering in monolayers of annite, a fully air-stable layered magnetic mica. Using a nanometer-scale scanning superconducting quantum interference device microscopy, we directly observe domain formation in this representative of two-dimensional magnetic phyllosilicates.
Authors
- A. Ney (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2388-6006)
- Aleksandar Matković (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8072-6220)
- S. València (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3912-5797)
- Martino Poggio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5327-051X)
- Daniel Jetter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2207-2729)
- K. Bagani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8136-0806)
- Andriani Vervelaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4900-1202)
- Daniel Knez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0755-958X)
- Oleg E. Peil (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9828-4483)
- Martina Dienstleder
- Florian Kronast (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6048-480X)
- Alevtina Smekhova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0946-2909)
- Muhammad Zubair Khan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7130-6881)
Institutions
- Johannes Kepler University of Linz (AT)
- Montanuniversität Leoben (AT)
- University of Basel (CH)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (DE)
- Graz University of Technology (AT)
- Materials Center Leoben (Austria) (AT)
- Austrian Centre for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis (AT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Materials
- Published
- 2025-10-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00936-7
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- European Commission
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- Austrian Science Fund
- Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie