New Paper in Advanced Functional Materials

The magnetic and electronic properties of 2D materials are at the forefront of today's condensed matter research, particularly in relation to the development of new electronic devices. A recent collaboration between the IFW Dresden and IFMP has provided new insights into the magnetic and electronic properties of such a material, namely Fe4GeTe2.

This van der Waals material has garnered significant attention due to its high ferromagnetic ordering temperature and a unique spin reorientation transition at approximately 110 K. This transition is due to a complex temperature evolution of magnetic anisotropy, which is an essential igredient for maintaining magnetic order in low-dimensional systems.

Using the advanced x-ray facility VEGA, we discovered a previously unknown superstructure modulation in the Fe4GeTe2 system. This modulation is expected to significantly affect the valence electrons within the material and may open a new path toward engineering flat bands in this intriguing quantum material.

The results of this study mark a step forward in understanding and manipulating the unique properties of 2D materials, offering fresh avenues for the design of 2D quantum materials.

Original publication:
Disentangling the Unusual Magnetic Anisotropy of the Near-Room-Temperature Ferromagnet Fe₄GeTe₂, Riju Pal, Joyal John Abraham, Alexander Mistonov, Swarnamayee Mishra, Nina Stilkerich, Suchanda Mondal, Prabhat Mandal, Atindra Nath Pal, Jochen Geck, Bernd Büchner, Vladislav Kataev, Alexey Alfonsov, Adv. Funct. Mater. 2024, 240255