A team of U.S. researchers has uncovered evidence of a newly proposed form of magnetism in an ultrathin quantum material that could pave the way for smaller, faster computer RAM and more efficient spintronic devices. They discovered that ultrathin ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) exhibits magnetic behavior when subjected to lattice strain. A quantum breakthrough Ruthenium dioxide is a quantum material that is widely used as an electrocatalyst in industrial processes. In late 2025, scientists from Japan proposed that ultrathin RuO2 films could enable faster, denser and more reliable memory chips. “This suggests that bulk and ultrathin ruthenium dioxide, under the right conditions, may have distinctly different magnetic properties,” Zhang explained.