Two-dimensional (2D) magnets have emerged as a promising platform for spin-based nanoelectronics, enabling atomic-scale control of magnetic order, interfaces, and symmetry. In this review, we discuss recent advances in 2D ferromagnets, antiferromagnets, and altermagnets, demonstrating how enhanced Curie temperatures, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and unconventional magnetic orders translate into device-relevant functionality. Spin-dependent transport in vertical magnetic tunnel junctions and lateral spin valves based on 2D heterostructures benefits from atomically sharp interfaces, enabling highly tunable spin injection, propagation, and detection. We further highlight field-free, energy-efficient spin–orbit torque magnetization switching in 2D systems, driven by unconventional spin currents from adjacent low-symmetry spin–orbit layers. Microscopic mechanisms involving symmetry breaking, Berry curvature, and orbital angular momentum transport are discussed, along with key challenges, including switching determinism and torque efficiency. These developments position 2D magnets as promising candidates for tunable, energy-efficient spintronic technologies integrating spin, charge, orbital, and topological degrees of freedom.
Zhao et al. (Thu,) studied this question.