Realization of a spin glass in a two-dimensional van der Waals material
Summary
Recent advances in van der Waals materials have sparked renewed interest in the impact of dimensionality on magnetic phase transitions. Although ordered magnetic phases have been demonstrated to survive in the two-dimensional (2D) limit, the quest for a spin glass with quenched magnetic disorder in lower dimensions has proven elusive. Here, we provide evidence of a spin glass emerging from randomly distributed Fe atoms in Fe3GeTe2 (FGT). ac magnetic susceptibility displays a strong frequen
Content
# Realization of a spin glass in a two-dimensional van der Waals material
*Published: 2026 May 7*
Recent advances in van der Waals materials have sparked renewed interest in the
impact of dimensionality on magnetic phase transitions. Although ordered
magnetic phases have been demonstrated to survive in the two-dimensional (2D)
limit, the quest for a spin glass with quenched magnetic disorder in lower
dimensions has proven elusive. Here, we provide evidence of a spin glass
emerging from randomly distributed Fe atoms in Fe3GeTe2 (FGT). ac magnetic
susceptibility displays a strong frequency dependence indicative of slow spin
dynamics. Additional distinctive phenomena, including aging, chaos, and memory
effects, further substantiate the existence of a glassy state. Notably, we found
that this state persists even in single-cell-thick FGT, thereby confirming the
existence of a 2D spin glass.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adp0091