The Mermin-Wagner theorem for many decades has served as a “rule of thumb” for the understanding of 2D magnetism. This theorem precludes long-range magnetic order in a truly isotropic 2D system above zero temperature. However, recent years have witnessed remarkable exceptions in the exciting class of magnetic 2D van der Waals crystals, in which even a small magnetic anisotropy can lead to a large magnon excitation gap that lifts the restriction imposed by the theorem and permits a finite Curie temperature in an intrinsic 2D magnet. The topic of 2D van der Waals magnets has since exploded worldwide, leading to many spectacular spin-based phenomena, such as interplays between 2D magnetism, charge density waves, superconductivity, and topological order, gate-tunable 2D magnetic order, layer-dependent ferromagnetic-to-antiferromagnetic transitions, and 2D spin-liquid behavior, just to mention a few. A great variety of exotic device functionalities and application schemes have also emerged along the way, such as gigantic magnetoresistance in van der Waals heterostructures, spin-filtering effect in 2D spin-valves and tunnel junctions, and so forth. Despite numerous open questions, the field of 2D van der Waals magnets is advancing rapidly, providing an unprecedented and rich playground for fundamental exploration as well as development of new technologies for spintronics.
Therefore, this Special Issue aims to provide a premier interdisciplinary platform, bringing together novel and cutting-edge theoretical and experimental research works on all aspects of 2D van der Waals magnets and derived heterostructures and devices. Potential topics to be considered include, but are not limited to:
- Discovery and exploration of 2D van der Waals magnets and associated physical phenomena by first-principles and computational approaches.
- Growth and characterization of 2D van der Waals magnets.
- Hybrid structures integrating 2D van der Waals magnets with other 2D crystals, or radically different materials, such as organic molecules, topological materials, traditional semiconductors, etc.
- Tailoring of 2D magnetism in van der Waals magnets by external means, such as voltage, strain, defects, surface adsorbents, interface control, magnetic proximity, etc.
- Novel strategies to preserve 2D van der Waals magnets for intrinsic material and device studies.
- Viable approaches for tackling issues on scalability, stability, Curie temperatures of 2D van der Waals magnets.
- Spintronic device concepts and architectures based on 2D van der Waals magnets.
This special issue solicits original work that must not be under consideration in any other journal. Initial submission to this special issue will start from May 1, 2021 and will continue by July 31, 2021. Authors are suggested to follow Journal of Alloys and Compounds’ Guide for authors (https://www.elsevier.com/journals/journal-of-alloys-and-compounds/0925-8388/guide-for-authors) for preparing manuscript. Authors should give specific attention to the length of the manuscript. The manuscript submitted for review should not exceed 8 pages (including title, abstract, references, figures, tables and figure captions). To submit a manuscript, author must select “VSI: 2D magnets” as article type during the submission process.
All submission will be thoroughly referred to according to the high standards of Journal of Alloys and Compounds. Please note that being invited to submit to a special issue does not guarantee publication.
Guest Editors:
Prof. David Mandrus
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, United States
Email: dmandrus@utk.edu
Prof. Andrew T.S. Wee
Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Email: phyweets@nus.edu.sg
Prof. P.K. Johnny Wong
School of Microelectronics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China
Email: pingkwanj.wong@nwpu.edu.cn
Overseeing Editor:
Prof. Hari Srikanth
Department of Physics, University of South Florida, United States
Email: sharihar@usf.edu