https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220412161558.htm

"The unique quantum mechanical make-up of this material -- manganese bismuth telluride -- allows it to carry lossless electrical currents, something of tremendous technological interest," said Hari Padmanabhan, who led the research as a graduate student at Penn State. "What makes this material especially intriguing is that this behavior is deeply connected to its magnetic properties. So, a knob to control magnetism in this material could also efficiently control these lossless currents."

Manganese bismuth telluride, a 2D material made of atomically thin stacked layers, is an example of a topological insulator, exotic materials that simultaneously can be insulators and conductors of electricity, the scientists said. Importantly, because this material is also magnetic, the currents conducted around its edges could be lossless, meaning they do not lose energy in the form of heat. Finding a way to tune the weak magnetic bonds between the layers of the material could unlock these functions.