Researchers discover that twisting atomically thin magnetic crystals creates giant topological patterns for low power computing

University of Edinburgh researchers find that twisting 2D magnets creates giant magnetic skyrmions, offering a new path for low-power spintronic computing.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 2, 2026, 10:44 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from ScienceDaily

The Emergence of Moiré Engineering in 2D Materials

In the field of nanotechnology, the stacking of atomically thin 2D crystals has allowed scientists to engineer new material properties by introducing slight rotational mismatches between layers. This technique, known as moiré engineering, creates interference patterns that fundamentally alter electronic behavior. While previously used to design quantum matter, new research published in Nature Nanotechnology demonstrates that this approach can also be used to manipulate magnetism on a much larger scale than previously thought possible.

Discovery of Giant Magnetic Skyrmions

A research team led by the University of Edinburgh examined twisted double bilayer chromium triiodide (CrI3) and discovered magnetic textures extending across hundreds of nanometers. Using scanning nitrogen vacancy magnetometry, they observed skyrmion like patterns reaching sizes of approximately 300 nm. This is ten times larger than the expected wavelength of the moiré unit cell, challenging the assumption that magnetic effects in these materials would be limited to the immediate scale of the crystal interference.

The Counterintuitive Role of Twist Angles

The study identified a surprising relationship between the twist angle of the layers and the resulting magnetic textures. Typically, as a twist angle decreases, the moiré wavelength increases; however, these magnetic textures reached a maximum size at an angle of 1.1 degrees before disappearing above 2 degrees. This indicates that the magnetism is not merely copying the moiré template but is instead emerging from a complex balance of competing forces, including exchange interactions and magnetic anisotropy.