They have the potential to vastly improve data processing and storage technology however current half-metallic materials do not meet the standards required. Through computational studies we have identified a new approach for controlling half-metallicity through pressure and chemical composition. The niobium oxyfluoride system is predicted to switch from metallic to half-metallic under applied pressure. The electronic properties can also be controlled by changing the ratio of oxygen and fluorine.
E. K. Dempsey and J. Cumby, Metallic to half-metallic transition driven by pressure and anion composition in niobium oxyfluoride, Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 11, 2023, 1791-1797.