It's all about the edges! A remarkable bit of science has emerged from a really broad collaboration between scientists here at UCL and others in Cambridge, Berlin and Paris: phosphorus nanoribbons (made by reducing black phosphorus with alkali metals in liquid ammonia) turn out to be magnetic semiconductors that link some of the weirdest phenomena in current physics, and open the door to very efficient nano-electronic devices. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08563-x
Magnetically and optically active edges in phosphorene nanoribbons - Nature
Phosphorene nanoribbons demonstrate extraordinary magnetic properties, ranging from large internal fields in films to macroscopic alignment in solution, which can be coupled to photoexcitations that localize to the magnetic edge of these ribbons.
