‘Magnetic graphene’ switches between insulator and conductor

The international team of researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, say that their results, reported in the journal Physical Review Letters, will aid in understanding the dynamic relationship between the electronic and structural properties of the material, sometimes referred to as ‘magnetic graphene’, and may represent a new way to produce two-dimensional materials. Magnetic graphene, or iron trithiohypophosphate (FePS ), is from a family of materials known as van der Waals materials, and was first synthesised in the 1960s. Despite graphene’s extraordinary strength and conductivity, the fact that it is not magnetic limits its application in areas such as magnetic storage and spintronics, and so researchers have been searching for magnetic materials which could be incorporated with graphene-based devices.

Source: www.cam.ac.uk