How Iron Nitride Could Revolutionize Wearable Spintronics and Flexible Sensors

Iron Nitride: The Future of Flexible Spintronics?

Iron Nitride: The Future of Flexible Spintronics?

Iron Nitride Crystal Structure

Published: April 7, 2025 | Source: Tohoku University / Communications Materials

The race to develop next-generation electronic materials just got a powerful contender: iron nitride (Fe₄N). According to recent research published in Communications Materials, this humble compound is showing exceptional magnetoelastic properties—a promising step toward flexible spintronic devices.

What Makes Iron Nitride So Special?

Iron nitride has emerged as a dual-purpose material—combining both strong magnetoresistance effects and highly tunable magnetoelasticity. These two characteristics are crucial for devices that respond to mechanical stress with changes in electrical resistance—like wearable electronics and smart sensors.

The research team, led by Keita Ito from the Institute for Materials Research at Tohoku University, explored not only Fe₄N but also its variants Fe4−xMnxN and Fe4−yCoyN. They discovered that the magnetostriction values could be precisely tuned, ranging from −121 ppm to +46 ppm—putting them in line with or surpassing many leading magnetic alloys.

Why It Matters for Flexible Electronics

With the boom in wearable tech and sheet-type sensors, the demand for materials that are both flexible and responsive is skyrocketing. Iron nitride offers an eco-friendly, cost-effective solution that’s free from critical raw material constraints.

Moreover, the researchers uncovered a vital link: the correlation between magnetic damping and magnetoelastic behavior. Using first-principles calculations, they found that the density of d-electron states at the Fermi level plays a pivotal role in both properties. This opens the door to new design strategies for magnetic materials.

What’s Next?

The Tohoku University team is now aiming to fabricate real-world devices using ferromagnetic nitride films on flexible substrates. These devices could revolutionize how we detect stress, movement, and pressure in consumer electronics, robotics, and medical diagnostics.

“By demonstrating that iron nitride materials exhibit both spintronic and magnetoelastic properties, we provide a new perspective on material selection for flexible spintronics devices.” – Dr. Keita Ito

As scientists continue to explore the intersection of spin physics and materials engineering, iron nitride is quickly becoming a magnet for innovation.

Further reading: Original article on Phys.org

DOI: 10.1038/s43246-025-00784-5

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