Using sound to get objects to float works well if a single particle is levitated but it causes multiple particles to collapse into a clump in mid-air. Physicists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have now found a way to keep them apart using charge. Their findings, published in PNAS, could benefit materials science, robotics, and microengineering.

Researchers propose a new route to electrically control magnetism using molecular ferroelectric altermagnets. By tuning molecular dipole alignments, the team demonstrates that spin polarization can be switched on, off, or reversed without altering magnetic order. Verified through theoretical model and first-principles studies in hybrid perovskites and metal-organic frameworks, this work introduces a flexible, low-power platform for electrically driven spintronics, bridging molecular ferroelectrics and next-generation magnetic memory technologies.