Archive · 11 Aug 2026
IIT Bhubaneswar Researchers Predict Novel 2D Material for Electronics
This story is about scientists finding a brand-new tiny material.
The scientists work at IIT Bhubaneswar and Virginia Commonwealth University.
The new material is a sheet that is only three atoms thick.
It is made of a chemical called FeCl3.
This material has a special magnetic property called i-wave altermagnetism.
Because of this, it does not create messy magnetic fields around it.
It can also control the way electrons spin.
That could help computers work faster while using less power.
In the future, it might be used for better memory and super-fast communication.
Researchers at IIT Bhubaneswar, in collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University, predicted a novel two-dimensional FeCl3 monolayer material with i-wave altermagnetism.
The three-atom-thick material combines features of conventional magnets and antiferromagnets and produces virtually no stray magnetic fields.
The material can generate and manipulate spin-polarised electrical currents, a key requirement for next-generation spintronics.
Potential applications include high-density memory, spin-based transistors, terahertz communication, and future quantum technologies.
The study, led by Manish Kumar Mohanta of the Department of Physics at IIT Bhubaneswar, was published in the journal Nano Letters.
- Who
- Researchers at IIT Bhubaneswar and Virginia Commonwealth University, led by Manish Kumar Mohanta of the Department of Physics, IIT Bhubaneswar.
- What
- They theoretically predicted a two-dimensional FeCl3 monolayer material exhibiting i-wave altermagnetism, which could enable faster, more compact and energy-efficient electronic devices.
- When
- The research was published in the journal Nano Letters; no specific date was given in the article.
- Where
- IIT Bhubaneswar, in collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University, USA.
- Why
- To advance next-generation spintronics and quantum technologies by using electron spin to create faster, more energy-efficient devices.
- Research institutions
- IIT Bhubaneswar; Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
- Lead researcher
- Manish Kumar Mohanta, Department of Physics, IIT Bhubaneswar
- Material
- FeCl3 monolayer (three atoms thick)
- Key property
- I-wave altermagnetism
- Journal
- Nano Letters
- Key advantages
- Virtually no stray magnetic fields; spin-polarised electrical currents
- Potential applications
- High-density memory, spin-based transistors, terahertz communication, quantum technologies