Electrical sliding switches graphene between magnetic states
In a discovery that could offer a new way to control quantum properties in two-dimensional materials, researchers at Cornell have found that electrically sliding the layers of ultrathin graphene can switch the material between distinct magnetic states that persist even after the voltage is removed.
Researchers at Cornell University have discovered that applying electric voltage to a stack of four graphene layers can switch the material between magnetic and nonmagnetic states. Assistant professor Kenji Yasuda and doctoral student Daniel Brandon found that sliding the layers, a process caused by weaker bonds between them called van der Waals bonds, alters the crystal structure.
In one configuration, the layers are arranged in a nonmagnetic Bernal pattern; in the other, they form a magnetic rhombohedral configuration. This voltage-induced sliding is nonvolatile, meaning the material retains its state even after the voltage is removed. The researchers believe this property could enable the creation of materials with programmable magnetic, superconducting, and quantum states, potentially leading to new forms of memory and quantum computing.
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