From spin to impact: How collaboration drives the future of 2D Materials

What happens when researchers come together around a shared scientific challenge? Within the 2DSPIN-TECH project, the answer is clear: progress accelerates. We met four young researchers from Chalmers and talked about collaboration.

At the intersection of physics, materials science and engineering, researchers are exploring how ultra-thin materials, just a few atoms thick, can reshape the future of electronics. Their work focuses on spintronics, a field that goes beyond conventional electronics by using not only the charge of electrons but also their “spin”.

As Bing Zhao, Staff Scientist at Chalmers University of Technology, explains:

– My research focuses on developing new materials and technologies for future electronics that are faster, more energy-efficient, and capable of storing and processing information in new ways.

These ambitions are not incremental, they represent a shift in how information itself can be handled.

A new dimension of electronics

Traditional electronics rely on moving electric charge. Spintronics adds an entirely new degree of freedom.

Himanshu Bangar, Postdoctoral Researcher at Chalmers, describes it clearly:

– In normal electronics, we move electric charge through a wire to carry information. Spintronics adds another dimension to this: instead of just using the charge of an electron, we also make use of its ‘spin’, a tiny magnetic property.”

This added dimension opens up possibilities for faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient devices.

The materials enabling this shift are extraordinary. Only a few atoms thick, they can be stacked like building blocks, each layer contributing unique properties. When combined, entirely new behaviours emerge.

Breakthroughs at room temperature

One of the key challenges in quantum materials research is making discoveries work outside the lab, under real-world conditions.

Recent results within the 2DSPIN-TECH-project show promising progress. Himanshu Bangar highlights:

– We can flip the magnetic state of the device using only a very small electrical current, and without needing an external magnet. A single ultra-thin magnetic material can actually act on itself.

This so-called self-torque effect challenges conventional assumptions in spintronics. Traditionally, multiple materials are required to generate and control spin. Here, a single material performs both roles.

– This opens up a whole new way of thinking about how we design spintronic devices, says Himanshu Banger.

The implications are substantial. Current memory technologies consume significant energy and often lose data without power. The goal is clear.

– A type of memory that holds onto information even without power, but that also works at the speed of fast memory.

Crucially, these effects are observed at room temperature, bringing the field closer to practical applications.

When theory meets reality

Spintronics is deeply rooted in fundamental science, but its appeal lies in the connection between theory and experiment.

For Lalit Pandey this is where the excitement comes alive:

– Yes, spintronics is a lot of fun because it combines fundamental science with the possibility of future technological applications. Seeing theoretical ideas become reality in the laboratory… is incredibly exciting.

One example involves switching magnetization using electrical currents alone.

– It is possible to switch the direction of an out-of-plane magnetized magnet without applying an external magnetic field.

Observing such predicted phenomena experimentally is a defining moment for researchers.

– Observing and confirming such effects experimentally is incredibly exciting and has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me, says Lalit Pandey.

Collaboration as a catalyst

While the science is complex, one theme emerges clearly: collaboration is essential. Bing Zhao points to the structure of the project itself.

– The strength of the 2DSPIN-TECH project comes from bringing together experts with different backgrounds.

From material growth to device fabrication, theory to experimentation, each partner contributes a crucial piece. The result is a highly integrated research environment.

– We work closely together by sharing materials, experimental methods, and ideas. This close collaboration allows us to move much faster than any single research group could on its own.

For early-career researchers, the benefits are equally important.

– Collaboration allows researchers to combine different expertise. For young researchers, it provides opportunities to learn new skills and build international networks, says Bing Zhao.

Toward ultra-low-power technologies

Beyond collaboration and discovery, the project is driven by a clear technological goal: ultra-low-power electronics. Divya Prakash focuses on a key challenge:

– Controlling spin transport using electric fields without relying on external magnetic fields has remained a significant challenge.

His research explores a promising solution:

– Two-dimensional van der Waals multiferroics provide an attractive route to overcome this limitation.

These materials combine multiple properties within a single system, allowing new forms of control.

– This project demonstrates the potential… as a versatile platform for reconfigurable, ultralow-power magnonic devices, says Divya Prakash.

Small materials, big impact

From self-switching magnetic layers to collaborative research models, 2DSPIN-TECH highlights how advances at the atomic scale can influence global technologies. The work is still evolving, but the direction is clear:

• Lower energy consumption
• Faster data processing
• New ways of storing information

And perhaps most importantly, a new way of working, where collaboration is not just helpful, but necessary.

Text and photo: Jonas Löfvendahl

4 researchers in spintronics and 2D materials

Bing Zhao
Staff Scientist, Chalmers University of Technology

Himanshu Bangar
Postdoctoral Researcher, Chalmers

Lalit Pandey
Postdoctoral Researcher, Chalmers

Divya Prakash
Postdoctoral Researcher, Chalmers

• As one result of their collaboration, please check published paper on 2D magnets: Nanoelectronics with Two-Dimensional Magnets | Nano Letters

• Read more about 2DSPIN-TECH.