Grain boundaries in certain 2D materials create nano magnets

Researchers from Rice University calculated that imperfections in certain 2D materials create the conditions by which nanoscale magnetic fields arise. According to the researchers this could lead towards new strategies in Spintronics research.

The researchers say that those grain boundaries in 2D semiconducting materials known as dichalcogenides (hybrids that combine transition metal and chalcogen atoms) can be magnetic. The researchers focused on molybdenum disulfide (MDS) grown using CVD. In graphene, the boundaries are weak points, but in dichalcogenides, they have unique properties, and they "squeeze magnetism out of nonmagnetic material".