Classification and design of two-dimensional altermagnets

Altermagnets — newly identified collinear antiferromagnets — carry zero net magnetic moment with non-relativistic, spin-polarized bands, distilling the best of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets into a single spintronic platform. Shrunking to the two-dimensional limit, they inherit the tunability of two-dimensional crystals while adding symmetry-protected spin splitting, a combination now driving intense experimental interest. Here, we review the symmetry classification of two-dimensional altermagnets based on spin-group theory and survey the growing list of candidate materials, emphasizing those with large spin splitting for experimental realization. We then examine strategies for engineering two-dimensional altermagnetism. This review aims to consolidate theoretically proposed candidate materials and realization strategies for two-dimensional altermagnets, providing insights for future experimental efforts in this emerging field.