Yttrium doping-stabilized γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were studied for its potential to serve as a plant fertilizer and, through enzymatic activity, support drought stress management. Levels of both hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation, after drought, were reduced when γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were delivered by irrigation in a nutrient solution to Brassica napus plants grown in soil. Hydrogen peroxide was reduced from 151 to 83 μM g−1 compared to control, and the malondialdehyde formation was reduced from 36 to 26 mM g−1. Growth rate of leaves was enhanced from 33 to 50% growth compared to fully fertilized plants and SPAD-measurements of chlorophyll increased from 47 to 52 suggesting improved agronomic properties by use of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles as fertilizer as compared to chelated iron.

Engineering 2D material heterostructures by combining the best of different materials in one ultimate unit can offer a plethora of opportunities in condensed matter physics. Here, in the van der Waals heterostructures of the ferromagnetic insulator Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ and graphene, our observations indicate an out-of-plane proximity-induced ferromagnetic exchange interaction in graphene. The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ results in significant modification of the spin transport and precession in graphene, which can be ascribed to the proximity-induced exchange interaction. Furthermore, the observation of a larger lifetime for perpendicular spins in comparison to the in-plane counterpart suggests the creation of a proximity-induced anisotropic spin texture in graphene. Our experimental results and density functional theory calculations open up opportunities for the realization of proximity-induced magnetic interactions and spin filters in 2D material heterostructures and can form the basic building blocks for future spintronic and topological quantum devices.

The influence of growth temperatureT_s(300–773 K) on the structural phase ordering, static and dynamic magnetization behaviour has been investigated in ion beam sputtered full Heusler alloy Co₂FeAl (CFA) thin films on industrially important Si(100) substrate. TheB2type magnetic ordering is established in these films based on the clear observation of the (200) diffraction peak. These ion beam sputtered CFA films possess very small surface roughness of the order of subatomic dimensions (<3 Å) as determined from the fitting of XRR spectra and also by AFM imaging. This is supported by the occurrence of distinct Kiessig fringes spanning over the whole scanning range (~4°) in the x-ray reflectivity (XRR) spectra. The Gilbert damping constant α and effective magnetization4πM_effare found to vary from 0.0053 ± 0.0002 to 0.0015 ± 0.0001 and 13.45 ± 00.03 kG to 14.03 ± 0.04 kG, respectively. These Co₂FeAl films possess saturation magnetization ranging from 4.82 ± 0.09 to 5.22 ± 0.10 μ_B/f.u. consistent with the bulkL2₁-type ordering. A record low α-value of 0.0015 is obtained for Co₂FeAl films deposited on Si substrate atT_s ~ 573 K.

Spin–orbit coupling (SOC) in two-dimensional (2D) materials has emerged as a powerful tool for designing spintronic devices. On the one hand, the interest in this respect for graphene, the most popular 2D material with numerous fascinating and exciting properties, is fading due to the absence of SOC. On the other hand, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are known to exhibit rich physics including large SOC. TMDs have been used for decades in a variety of applications such as nano-electronics, photonics, optoelectronics, sensing, and recently also in spintronics. Here, we review the current progress in research on 2D TMDs for generating spin–orbit torques in spin-logic devices. Several challenges connecting to thin film growth, film thickness, layer symmetry, and transport properties and their impact on the efficiency of spintronic devices are reviewed. How different TMDs generate spin–orbit torques in magnetic heterostructures is discussed in detail. Relevant aspects for improving the quality of the thin film growth as well as the efficiency of the generated spin–orbit torques are discussed together with future perspectives in the field of spin-orbitronics.

A damping-like spin orbit torque (SOT) is a prerequisite for ultralow power spin logic devices. Here, we report on the damping-like SOT in just one monolayer of the conducting transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) TaS₂ interfaced with a NiFe (Py) ferromagnetic layer. The charge-spin conversion efficiency is found to be 0.25±0.03 in TaS₂(0.88)/Py(7) and the spin Hall conductivity (14.9×10⁵ ℏ/2e Ω⁻¹ m⁻¹) is found to be superior to values reported for other TMDs. We also observed sizable field-like torque in this heterstructure. The origin of this large damping-like SOT can be found in the interfacial properties of the TaS₂/Py heterostructure, and the experimental findings are complemented by the results from density functional theory calculations. It is envisioned that the interplay between interfacial spin-orbit coupling and crystal symmetry yielding large damping-like SOT. The dominance of damping-like torque demonstrated in our study provides a promising path for designing next generation conducting TMD based low-powered quantum memory devices.