Researchers from the University of Ottawa and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have published a detailed review of magnetic topological materials. These materials combine magnetism with concepts from topology, which is the mathematical study of shapes that cannot be continuously deformed into one another without breaking.
The review brings together more than twenty years of research from around the world. It describes how these materials could lead to major improvements in electronic devices. Such advances might allow computers that stay cool, phones with batteries that last for days, and memory chips that keep data even when the power is turned off.
In these materials, magnetism and quantum physics work together in special ways. One key effect is the quantum anomalous Hall effect. This is a state in which electric current flows along the edges of the material with almost no energy loss and without any external magnetic field.
The one major limitation is that these useful properties currently appear only at extremely low temperatures, just above absolute zero.
Pathways toward practical applications
To reach room-temperature operation, the review outlines three promising directions. Researchers can use powerful computers and artificial intelligence to screen thousands of candidate materials rapidly. They can also build thin layered structures that combine different substances. Finally, scientists may discover entirely new families of magnetic topological materials.
These materials represent a fundamental shift in how information could be processed and stored. They may enable faster, smaller, and far more energy-efficient devices. The technology also shows early promise for artificial intelligence hardware that operates in ways closer to the human brain than traditional computers do. The review provides a shared foundation for future work in the field.
"By combining advances in material synthesis, computational screening, and machine learning, we believe room-temperature magnetic topological devices are within reach," say the researchers.
The review, titled "Progress and prospects of magnetic topological materials for spintronic applications" is published in Newton.