National Institute for Materials Science

New Capabilities

As of May 2026: Lead institution on ruthenium dioxide research

A team in Japan just proved that ultra-thin films of ruthenium dioxide exhibit altermagnetism—a third fundamental class of magnetism that wasn't confirmed until 2019. The breakthrough combines the stability of antiferromagnets with the fast electrical readout of ferromagnets, addressing the core limitation that keeps magnetic memory slow and bulky.

Updated May 16