Twisting atom-thin materials reveals new way to save computing energy

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A recent study shows a new and potentially more energy-efficient way for information to be transmitted inside electronic systems, including computers and phones—without relying on electric currents or external magnetic fields.

In today's electronics, information is transmitted by moving electrons through circuits, where ones and zeros are represented by high or low electrical signals. While this approach has enabled modern computing, the movement of electrical charge inevitably generates heat, leading to energy loss and limiting how much devices can be miniaturized and improved.

In the new study, published in Nano Letters, researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and international collaborators demonstrate that simply twisting two layers of certain atom-thin magnetic materials allows magnetic signals to carry information instead of relying on electrical currents to do the work.

These magnetic signals, or altermagnetic magnons, could be useful for future information technologies that move information without relying on electrical charge, says Anna Delin, professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

The work builds on the field of spintronics, which aims to use magnetism rather than electric charge to transmit and process information. Spintronics takes advantage of an intrinsic property of electrons called spin—a tiny magnetic orientation that can point in different directions. Instead of pushing electrons through a device, spintronic systems can use magnons, which are waves that ripple through a material's magnetic order.

Because magnons transmit information without transporting electrical charge, they can do so with far less energy loss. However, for magnons to be useful in real technologies, different magnetic signals must behave differently so that information can be controlled and directed. Achieving this separation has typically required strong magnetic fields or complex material structures, which add cost, power consumption, and design constraints.

The new research shows a much simpler route.

The researchers focused on achieving what is known as altermagnetic behavior—a situation where a material has no overall magnetism, yet internally separates magnetic signals so their paths can be guided. In practical terms, this means the material itself defines how magnetic information flows.

Using advanced computer simulations, the team studied van der Waals antiferromagnets, a family of atom-thin magnetic materials whose layers can be stacked and rotated with great precision.

They found that by rotating one layer relative to the other—a method known as twist engineering—the symmetry inside the material changes in just the right way to produce strong and controllable altermagnetic behavior.

"We show that this behavior can be unusually strong and does not rely on external magnetic fields or on toxic, critical, or rare elements," Delin says. "That makes it an attractive platform for exploring new ways to transmit information more efficiently."

The study's lead author, KTH postdoctoral researcher Qirui Cui, says that while the study does not describe a finished electronic device, it provides a clear physical demonstration of how information-carrying magnetic signals can be generated and controlled through material design alone.

"The findings offer a new foundation for future research into low-energy information technologies that could complement conventional electronics," he says.

Publication details

Qirui Cui et al, Altermagnetic Magnons in Twisted van der Waals Antiferromagnets, Nano Letters (2026). DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6c00198

Journal information: Nano Letters

Key concepts

Magnetism2-dimensional systems

Provided by KTH Royal Institute of Technology