Spintronics is an emerging technology for building computers, which involves using an electron’s “spin” in addition to its negative charge for performing computation energy-efficiently. Spintronic computing devices are built using magnetic materials, and a special class of magnetic, i.e. two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) magnetic materials offer properties which can enable creating scalable and energy-efficient spintronic devices suitable for real world applications. However, much like superconductors, the 2D vdW magnetic materials could operate only at very low temperatures until recently.

In a significant advancement, researchers in the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek group at MIT Media Lab have made it possible to operate (electrically switch) the vdW magnets above room temperature. This development clears the path for realizing the potential of 2D vdW materials for building highly energy-efficient computers.

More information at: https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/nano...