
‘Magnetic graphene’ switches between insulator and conductor - mangoleaf
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/magnetic-graphene-switches-between-insulator-and-conductor
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apo
Although the term "magnetic graphene" is sometimes used to refer to FePS3,
this compound isn't graphene - it's devoid of carbons.

Rather, FePS3, like graphene, has a tendency to form thin sheets. But that's
where the similarities end.

The original paper's abstract is more helpful than the article:

 _Two-dimensional materials have proven to be a prolific breeding ground of
new and unstudied forms of magnetism and unusual metallic states, particularly
when tuned between their insulating and metallic phases. Here we present work
on a new metal-to-insulator transition system FePS3. This compound is a two-
dimensional van der Waals antiferromagnetic Mott insulator. We report the
discovery of an insulator-metal transition in FePS3, as evidenced by x-ray
diffraction and electrical transport measurements, using high pressure as a
tuning parameter. Two structural phase transitions are observed in the x-ray
diffraction data as a function of pressure, and resistivity measurements show
evidence of the onset of a metallic state at high pressures. We propose models
for the two new structures that can successfully explain the x-ray diffraction
patterns._

[https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.12...](https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.266801)

And this general-audience article is IMO better than the one linked:

 _" The discovery of graphene led me to wonder if I could introduce magnetism
to 2-D materials similar to graphene," explains Park. "Physicists have
inherited the challenge of studying and explaining the physical properties of
the two-dimensional world. In spite of its academic importance and
applicability, this field is very much under-explored," he adds._

[https://phys.org/news/2018-10-flexy-flat-functional-
magnets....](https://phys.org/news/2018-10-flexy-flat-functional-magnets.html)

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julienfr112
Graphene can do anything, but leave the lab.

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setquk
Yes. It can simultaneously cause and cure cancer too!

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slyrus
Is 10 gPa (is that the right capitalization for gigaPascal? Gigapascal?
GigaPascal?) anyway? Is that something routinely used in the lab or in
production of commercial materials like chips or other electronic equipment?

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msandford
10GPa is about 100k atmosphere or 1500ksi or 1.5 million psi. The best steels
in the world are what are called maraging steel and they're 500ksi. Normal
mild steel might only be 30ksi. So it's going to be tough to recreate this
outside the lab I suspect.

