Origin of magnetic anisotropy in a 2D magnet

Chi highlight Feb. 2026 — (a) Lorentz 4D-STEM image shows the competition between in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy causing a disturbance in the magnetic order on the mesoscale. This is caused by the inhomogeneity in chemical composition shown in (b), which dictates the order/disorder of the crystal structure illustrated in (c).

Scientific Achievement: Identified mesoscale phase separation and a corresponding variation of magnetic anisotropy driving the formation of spin textures in high-ordering temperature ferromagnet Fe_5-xGeTe₂ (FGT).

Significance and Impact: Established a direct, quantitative relationship between local magnetic anisotropy and Fe-vacancy distribution in FGT, enabling logical design of magnetic properties.

DOI: 10.1002/adma.202515150