JNCASR-led researchers report a previously unknown magnetic phase in neodymium nitride, with potential implications for spintronics and magnetic materials.
On November 18, 2025, India's Ministry of Science & Technology announced that a team led by the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, has discovered a new form of magnetism in the rare-earth compound neodymium nitride (NdN). The finding, published in ACS Nano, identifies an unexpected magnetic phase in NdN, adding to the known magnetic behaviors of rare-earth nitrides and providing a fresh system to study 4f-electron interactions. Researchers say the observation expands the palette of magnetic orderings available in rare-earth compounds and creates opportunities to explore coupling between localized f-electrons and conduction carriers. That interplay is often central to emergent spin textures and anisotropic responses valuable in spintronics and nanoscale magnetics. Further experimental characterization and theoretical work will be needed to pin down the underlying mechanism and to evaluate any practical applications in magnetic devices or quantum materials research.