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Exchange Engineering of a Two-Dimensional Half-Metal

Xin Liang Tan1,2,*,‡, Arthur Ernst3,4, Kenta Hagiwara1,2, Ying-Jiun Chen1,5, Claus Michael Schneider1,2,6, and Christian Tusche1,2,†

  • *Contact author: xin.l.tan@ntnu.no
  • †Contact author: c.tusche@fz-juelich.de
  • ‡Present address: Center for Quantum Spintronics, Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway.
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 036703 – Published 16 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mx46-85zf

Abstract

We report the emergence of two-dimensional itinerant half-metallicity in a two-atomic-layer thick iron-palladium alloy. Against the common belief that spin-orbit coupling is adverse to half-metallicity, the complex interplay between exchange and spin-orbit coupling counterintuitively enables it via electronic band hybridization. The 2D ferromagnet is engineered directly via controlled alloying and is verified experimentally via spin-resolved band structure analyses. First-principles calculations corroborate its tunability by providing a systematic bottom-up approach through stepwise ground-state construction. The appearance of hybridization points at specific k points, via interplay between exchange and spin-orbit interactions, is responsible for the emergence of half-metallicity.

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synopsis

Half-Metals Enter Flatland

Published 16 July, 2025

A 2D version of a half-metal—a spin-selective electrical conductor—could aid spin-based electronics.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 036703– Published 16 July, 2025
  • Received 23 December 2024
  • Accepted 30 May 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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