All-Electric Low-Power Switching of Perpendicular Magnetization by Low-Crystal-Symmetry Weyl Semimetal NbIrTe <sub>4</sub>
The development of energy-efficient spin–orbit torque devices hinges on realizing field-free switching of perpendicular magnetization with minimal power consumption. Here, we demonstrate robust field-free switching of perpendicular magnetization at room temperature, enabled by out-of-plane spins generated in the Weyl semimetal NbIrTe4. The critical switching current density is 3.6 × 106 A/cm2, corresponding to the lowest power consumption reported among intrinsic low-crystal-symmetry materials, 16 times lower than that of WTe2 and 4 times lower than that of TaIrTe4. The switching polarity remains stable up to an in-plane magnetic field of 19 mT, confirming the robustness of the field-free operation against magnetic perturbations. Loop-shift measurements and first-principles calculations consistently reveal a large out-of-plane spin Hall conductivity in NbIrTe4, σs,z ≈ 2.61 × 104 (ℏ/2e)(Ω·m)−1, responsible for the highly efficient and stable magnetization switching. These findings position NbIrTe4 as a compelling member of the emerging class of low-symmetry materials and offer a promising pathway toward the development of energy-efficient, all-electric spin–orbit torque devices.
Authors
- Rui Hou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9614-883X)
- Lishu Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2256-9789)
- Yajing Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2285-3775)
- Pengnan Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1569-5584)
- Jia‐Min Lai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5700-5385)
- Kaiwei Guo
- Zhonghai Yu
- Junnan Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3517-3091)
- Wentian Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5285-5532)
- G YU
- Zhi Yan
- Bingyue Bian
- Yaohui Du
- Mingfen Jin
- Fei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3801-2819)
- Liang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8339-468X)
- Guoyi Shi
- Hongru Wang
- Yong Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2011-7241)
- Xiaohong Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7588-4793)
- Delin Zhang
Institutions
- Shandong University (CN)
- Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Tiangong University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Ministry of Education (RW)
- FZU ‒ Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CZ)
- Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (MY)
- Shanxi Normal University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Nano
- Published
- 2026-05-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6c03869
- Primary Topic
- Topological Materials and Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Shanxi Scholarship Council of China
- National Key Research and Development Program of China