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In the field of spin electronics, spin electronics devices based on magnetic skyrmions are expected to meet the performance requirements of future devices for high capacity, high speed, low power consumption, etc.

However, magnetic skyrmions face many challenges in their application in practical devices, among which efficiently controlling the generation and annihilation of skyrmions is one of the key problems.

To address this issue, the research group led by Associate Professor Hou Yusheng from the School of Physics at Sun Yat-sen University conducted first-principles calculations and found that an external magnetic field can induce the appearance of magnetic skyrmions in a monolayer Janus magnetic material called CrYX (Y = S, Se, Te; X = Cl, Br, I) with an intrinsic Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction [1].

Photo | Hou Yusheng (Source: Hou Yusheng)

On this basis, taking into account the non-volatile polarization characteristics of two-dimensional ferroelectric materials, they proposed a theoretical scheme for regulating magnetic skyrmions in two-dimensional van der Waals multi-body heterojunctions.

After two years of exploration and research, they discovered the transition between the intrinsic magnetic skyrmion state and the ferromagnetic state in a two-dimensional van der Waals multi-body heterojunction composed of CrSeI and In 2 Te 3.

At the same time, in order to help find and control magnetic skyrmions in other two-dimensional multiferroic heterojunctions, they proposed a concise descriptor to accurately define the scope of existence of magnetic skyrmions.

Recently, a related paper titled “Switching Intrinsic Magnetic Skyrmions with Controllable Magnetic Anisotropy in van der Waals Multiferroic Heterostructures” was published in Nano Letters[2] and was selected as the cover paper of that issue.

Wang Zequan, a master's student at Sun Yat-sen University, is the first author, and Hou Yusheng is the corresponding author.

Figure | Related paper (Source: Nano Letters)

One of the reviewers found the intrinsic magnetic skyrmions and the high-temperature ferromagnetic state transitions found in the two-dimensional van der Waals multiiron heterojunction CrSeI/In 2 Te 3 to be "very interesting".

At the same time, the reviewer commented that the magnetic skyrmion descriptor they proposed in the article can serve as a "useful guide" for manipulating magnetic skyrmions in the widely studied two-dimensional van der Waals multi-iron heterojunctions.

Another reviewer believes that the theoretical scheme proposed this time to use controllable magnetic anisotropy to regulate magnetic skyrmions in two-dimensional van der Waals multiferroic heterojunctions is novel.

(Source: Nano Letters)

In a few years, this theoretical achievement may have potential practical applications.

The first application is racetrack memory.

By precisely controlling the creation and annihilation of magnetic skyrmions, racetrack memories with extremely high storage density can be designed.

This type of memory uses the topological stability of magnetic skyrmions to achieve long-term storage of information, while using the mobility of magnetic skyrmions to achieve fast reading and writing of information.

This will greatly improve the density and speed of information storage and provide new solutions for future data storage.

The second application is logic gate devices.

By designing logic gate devices based on magnetic skyrmions, rapid processing and transmission of information can be achieved.

This logic gate device uses the topological stability and mobility of magnetic skyrmions to realize logical operations of information, which can provide new possibilities for computing circuits.

At the same time, the magnetic skyrmion descriptor they proposed can more accurately predict and regulate the behavior of magnetic skyrmions in two-dimensional materials, thus facilitating the design of magnetic skyrmion devices with better performance.

(Source: Nano Letters)

Based on the current research, they have clear plans for follow-up research.

On the one hand, magnetic skyrmions, as a special spin structure, have great potential in the field of spin electronics.

On the other hand, high entropy materials have been widely studied and applied in the engineering field due to their excellent performance characteristics, such as high tunability, high conductivity and high corrosion resistance.

They believe that the combined research of magnetic skyrmions and high-entropy materials not only has unique scientific research value, but also has broad application prospects.

Therefore, the team will further study the stable existence and regulation of magnetic skyrmions in high-entropy materials.

Through external magnetic fields, electric fields, temperature and other means, they hope to achieve precise control of the dynamic behavior of magnetic skyrmions, thereby revealing the regulation mechanism of magnetic skyrmions in high-entropy materials.

Combining the excellent properties of high entropy materials, the research team will develop new composite materials based on magnetic skyrmions. It is expected that these materials will have better performance, lower cost, and wider application prospects.

References:

1. Yusheng Hou, Feng Xue, Liang Qiu, Zhe Wang, Ruqian Wu, Npj Computational Materials, 8, 120 (2022)

2.Wang, Z. Q., Xue, F., Qiu, L., Wang, Z., Wu, R., & Hou, Y. (2024). Switching intrinsic magnetic skyrmions with controllable magnetic anisotropy in van der Waals multiferroic heterostructures.Nano Letters, 24(14), 4117-4123.

Layout: He Chenlong, Liu Yakun

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