Breakthrough in Graphene: Topological Phase Transition Unveils New Quantum States and Spintronics Potential

January 26, 2026
Breakthrough in Graphene: Topological Phase Transition Unveils New Quantum States and Spintronics Potential
  • Twisted rhombohedral graphene is positioned as a versatile platform for high-Chern-number topological materials and exotic quantum transport, with implications for low-power electronics and multi-channel devices.

  • The broader study frames rhombohedral multilayer graphene as a platform to explore the interplay of strong correlations, topology, and spin-orbit coupling, with potential impacts on spintronics and quantum computing.

  • Dual-gate structures enable independent tuning of carrier density and displacement field, allowing precise mapping of phase behavior including insulating states.

  • Optimal proximity-induced SOC effects occur at misalignment angles between graphene and WSe2 around 15 to 20 degrees, with devices showing angles near 15 and 18 degrees, highlighting alignment sensitivity.

  • Proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling on the meV scale, together with strong correlations from surface flat bands, leads to spontaneous symmetry breaking and novel electronic states.

  • In twisted monolayer-trilayer graphene, states with Chern number |C| = 3 at a certain filling were demonstrated, and the sign of the Chern number can be switched via electrostatic doping or a displacement field.

  • There is a displacement-field-driven topological phase transition between quantum anomalous Hall states with C = 3 and C = 4 at a specific filling in twisted Bernal bilayer-rhombohedral tetralayer graphene (2+4) L.

  • The system shows near-zero Hall resistance and a hysteretic anomalous Hall effect, indicating broken symmetries and fully polarized charge carriers.

  • Residual disorder and imperfect contacts are limiting perfect quantization, with future work aimed at reaching higher Chern numbers and exploring proximity-induced superconductivity for chiral Majorana edge modes.

  • Raman mapping confirms preservation of rhombohedral domains after encapsulation, ensuring structural integrity for the observed phenomena.

  • Spin-valley locking from Ising spin-orbit coupling enables valley control via the valley Zeeman effect, influencing band overlap and inversion in valley-polarized bands.

  • Future directions include mapping the phase diagram across spin-orbit coupling strengths and twist angles, exploring proximate anisotropic SOC with low-symmetry 2D materials, and investigating correlated electron-hole states like excitonic insulators and viscous Dirac fluids.

Summary based on 2 sources


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