Earth-Abundant Hematite Could Revolutionize Sustainable Spintronics

Earth-Abundant Hematite: A Leap Toward Sustainable Spintronics Hematite and spintronics research illustration

In a stunning breakthrough for sustainable electronics, scientists from EPFL and Beihang University have discovered that hematite—an abundant and eco-friendly iron oxide mineral—could serve as a foundation for next-generation spintronic technologies. This development offers an energy-efficient alternative to current memory devices by exploiting magnon-based spin waves instead of traditional electric currents.

The study, published in Nature Physics, reveals that hematite can support two distinct magnon modes, allowing reversible control of digital magnetic bits—a key requirement for future low-energy memory and data processing. These discoveries were made possible by the collaborative efforts of Professor Dirk Grundler’s team at EPFL and Professor Haiming Yu’s group at Beihang University.

Why Spintronics Matters

Traditional electronics rely on electric current (and hence moving electrons) to process and store information. This approach inevitably causes energy loss through heat—known as Joule heating. Spintronics, on the other hand, harnesses the intrinsic spin of electrons and their associated magnetic moment to perform the same functions, but with far lower energy consumption.

The idea of using magnons—the quasiparticles associated with spin waves—to encode data has been a hot topic in materials science. However, until now, practical implementation had remained elusive, especially the ability to rewrite stored data reliably.

Hematite: A Rediscovered Hero

Known for centuries as a source of iron and as a pigment, hematite was never considered ideal for magnetic technologies due to its weak magnetic properties. Yet, recent findings have turned this assumption on its head. Researchers detected unique electrical signals from a platinum stripe placed on a hematite substrate, leading to the discovery of an unexpected magnon interference pattern.

This interference allows spin currents to dynamically switch polarization, making it possible to reverse magnetic states in nanomagnets. In essence, it enables digital data to be written and rewritten—paving the way for real-world, sustainable spintronic devices.

Scientific Impact and Future Directions

According to Professor Grundler, hematite now outperforms traditional materials like yttrium iron garnet (YIG), previously considered the gold standard in microwave electronics. This opens doors not only for high-frequency spintronic computing, but also for broader environmental gains through the use of abundant, non-toxic materials.

Next, the researchers aim to integrate hematite-based spintronic components with real nanomagnets to fully realize data storage and logic operations on a chip-level scale.

🔗 Read the full article on Phys.org: https://phys.org/news/2025-04-earth-abundant-mineral-sustainable-spintronics.html

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