Inducing Room Temperature Ferromagnetism in Phyllosilicates via Iron Implantation

Abstract

Abstract The modulation of intrinsic two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetism has attracted significant attention due to its potential applications in spintronics and magnetic field sensing. However, the limited availability of intrinsically magnetic 2D materials has driven the exploration of external approaches, including chemical doping, proximity effects, defect engineering, and strain, to induce magnetic ordering. Key challenges that remain include the lack of ambient stability and the need to achieve robust room-temperature magnetic ordering through the use of tunable fabrication methods. We propose a scalable approach to inducing room-temperature ferromagnetism by incorporating iron (Fe) ions into phyllosilicates via broad-beam irradiation. Talc serves as an effective scaffold for substituting magnesium (Mg) with Fe in octahedral sites, offering excellent ambient stability and the ability to be thinned to monolayers. Our analysis demonstrates that Fe-implanted talc exhibits ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. These findings highlight the potential of phyllosilicates as a platform for stable, tunable 2D magnetic insulators.