Due to its inherent superior perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy, the FePt in L10 phase enables magnetic storage and memory devices with ultrahigh capacity. However, reversing the FePt magnetic state, and therefore encoding information, has proven to be extremely difficult. Here, it is demonstrated that an electric current can exert a large spin torque on an L10 FePt magnet, ultimately leading to reversible magnetization switching. The spin torque monotonically increases with increasing FePt thickness, exhibiting a bulk characteristic. Meanwhile, the spin torque effective fields and switching efficiency increase as the FePt approaches higher chemical ordering with stronger spin–orbit coupling. The symmetry breaking that generates spin torque within L10 FePt is shown to arise from an inherent structural gradient along the film normal direction. By artificially reversing the structural gradient, an opposite spin torque effect in L10 FePt is demonstrated. At last, the role of the disorder gradient in generating a substantial torque in a single ferromagnet is supported by theoretical calculations. These results will push forward the frontier of material systems for generating spin torques and will have a transformative impact on magnetic storage and spin memory devices with simple architecture, ultrahigh density, and readily application.

The hexanitratolanthanate anion (La(NO(3))(6)(3-)) is an interesting symmetric anion suitable to construct the component of water-free rare-earth-metal ionic liquids. The syntheses and structural characterization of eleven lanthanum nitrate complexes, [C(n)mim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)] (n=1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18), including 1,3-dimethylimidazolium hexanitratolanthanate ([C(1)mim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)], 1), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hexanitratolanthanate ([C(2)mim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)], 2), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexanitratolanthanate ([C(4)mim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)], 3), 1-isobutyl-3-methylimidazolium hexanetratolanthanate ([isoC(4)mim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)], 4), 1-methyl-3-(3'-methylbutyl)imidazolium hexanitratolanthanate ([MC(4)mim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)], 5), 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexanitratolanthanate ([C(6)mim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)], 6), 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium hexanitratolanthanate ([C(8)mim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)], 7), 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium hexanitratolanthanate ([C(12)mim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)], 8), 1-methyl-3-tetradecylimidazolium hexanitratolanthanate ([C(14)mim](3)[La-(NO(3))(6)], 9), 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimid-azolium hexanitratolanthanum ([C(16)dmim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)], 10), and 1-methyl-3-octadecylimidazolium hexanitratolanthanate ([C(18)mim](3)[La(NO(3))(6)], 11) are reported. All new compounds were characterized by (1)H and (13)C NMR, and IR spectroscopy as well as elemental analysis. The crystal structure of compound 1 was determined by using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, giving the following crystallographic information: monoclinic; P2(1)/c; a=15.3170 (3), b=14.2340 (2), c=13.8954(2) Å; β=94.3453(15)°, V=3020.80(9) Å(3), Z=4, ρ=1.764 g cm(-3). The coordination polyhedron around the lanthanum ion is rationalized by six nitrate anions with twelve oxygen atoms. No hydrogen-bonding network or water molecule was found in 1. The thermodynamic stability of the new complexes was investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The water-free hexanitratolanthanate ionic liquids are thermal and moisture stable. Four complexes, namely complexes 8-11, were found to be ionic liquid crystals by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM). They all present smectic A liquid-crystalline phase.

Current induced spin-orbit torques driven by the conventional spin Hall effect are widely used to manipulate the magnetization. This approach, however, is nondeterministic and inefficient for the switching of magnets with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy that are demanded by the high-density magnetic storage and memory devices. Here, we demonstrate that this limitation can be overcome by exploiting a magnetic spin Hall effect in noncollinear antiferromagnets, such as Mn3Sn. The magnetic group symmetry of Mn3Sn allows generation of the out-of-plane spin current carrying spin polarization collinear to its direction induced by an in-plane charge current. This spin current drives an out-of-plane anti-damping torque providing the deterministic switching of the perpendicular magnetization of an adjacent Ni/Co multilayer. Due to being odd with respect to time reversal symmetry, the observed magnetic spin Hall effect and the resulting spin-orbit torque can be reversed with reversal of the antiferromagnetic order. Contrary to the conventional spin-orbit torque devices, the demonstrated magnetization switching does not need an external magnetic field and requires much lower current density which is useful for low-power spintronics.

Taking into account the high conductivity and stability of carbon materials, such as graphene, and the strong polar covalent bonding character of main-group compounds, we explore potential 2D materials in the C–S binary system through first-principles structure search calculations. Herein, a hitherto unknown semiconducting C3S monolayer is identified, consisting of well-known n-biphenyl and S atom linked benzenes, exhibiting an obvious direction-dependent atomic arrangement. Thus, it exhibits anisotropic mechanical properties and carrier mobility. Its electron mobility reaches 2.14 × 104 cm2 V–1 s–1 in the b direction, along which n-biphenyl units are arranged, and is much higher than that in the well-used MoS2 monolayer and black phosphorus. Meanwhile, the C3S monolayer has high optical absorption coefficients (105 cm–1), high thermal and dynamical stabilities, and a moderate ability to split water. All these desirable properties make the C3S monolayer a promising candidate for applications in novel optoelectronic devices.