Magnetic Properties of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) represent a versatile class of layered materials exhibiting a rich array of magnetic phenomena when reduced to two dimensions or interfaced with other quantum systems. Magnetic ordering in TMDs ranges from intrinsic ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism to more exotic correlated states such as spin density waves and Kondo lattices. The balance of exchange interactions, spin–orbit coupling and crystal symmetry can be tuned by thickness, strain, chemical functionalisation or heterostructure design, yielding Curie temperatures that in some cases approach or exceed ambient conditions. Interplay with charge density waves and superconductivity further enriches the phase diagrams, offering prospects for novel spintronic devices, quantum information platforms and topological electronics. Advances in spectroscopic probes, first-principles calculations and device fabrication have driven rapid progress in understanding and harnessing the magnetic properties of TMDs at the atomic scale.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated the engineering of a Kondo lattice on monolayer VSe₂ grown on NbSe₂, where interstitial vanadium atoms mediate the emergence of a pronounced Kondo resonance around the Fermi level and coexist with a superconducting proximity gap. This artificial heterojunction establishes a platform for exploring heavy-fermion physics in van der Waals systems and reveals how magnetic impurities and conduction electrons give rise to a tunable Kondo temperature near 44 K. In parallel, spin-resolved photoemission measurements on single-crystal 1T-VSe₂ have uncovered a Dirac nodal arc with strong spin-momentum locking, driven by band inversion under surface strain. This finding highlights the potential for TMDs to host topological magnetic states that may interface with superconductivity or support quantum anomalous Hall effects.

Magnetic Properties of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in magnetic properties of transition metal dichalcogenides across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Curie temperature: Temperature above which a ferromagnet loses its spontaneous magnetisation.

Kondo effect: Screening of magnetic impurities by conduction electrons, producing a characteristic low-temperature resistivity minimum.

Stoner instability: Condition for itinerant ferromagnetism when the product of the density of states at the Fermi level and exchange interaction exceeds unity.

Spin-momentum locking: Correlation between an electron’s spin orientation and its momentum direction, typical of certain topological states.

Charge density wave: Periodic modulation of electronic charge coupled to a lattice distortion in low-dimensional systems.

van der Waals heterostructure: Assembly of two-dimensional layers held together by weak van der Waals forces, enabling novel interfacial phenomena.

References

1. Artificial superconducting Kondo lattice in a van der Waals heterostructure. Nature Communications (2024).
2. Dirac nodal arc in 1T-VSe2. Communications Materials (2023).
3. Confinement effect enhanced Stoner ferromagnetic instability in monolayer 1T-VSe2. New Journal of Physics (2021).
4. Metal-insulator transition and the anomalous Hall effect in the layered magnetic materials VS2 and VSe2. New Journal of Physics (2016).