The interplay between symmetry and topology in magnetic materials makes it possible to engineer exotic phases and technologically useful properties. A key requirement for these pursuits is achieving control over local crystallographic and magnetic structure, usually through sample morphology (such as synthesis of bulk crystals versus thin-films) and application of magnetic or electric fields. Here we show that V1/3NbS2 can be crystallized in two ordered superlattices, distinguished by the periodicity of out-of-plane magnetic intercalants. Whereas one of these structures is metallic and displays the hallmarks of altermagnetism, the other superlattice, which has not been isolated before in this family of intercalation compounds, is a semimetallic noncollinear antiferromagnet that may enable access to topologically nontrivial properties. This observation of an unconventional superlattice structure establishes a powerful route for tailoring the tremendous array of magnetic and electronic behaviors hosted in related materials.
@article{arxiv.2506.22686,
title = {Unconventional superlattice ordering in intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide V$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$},
author = {Shannon S. Fender and Noah Schnitzer and Wuzhang Fang and Lopa Bhatt and Dingbin Huang and Amani Malik and Oscar Gonzalez and Veronika Sunko and Lilia S. Xie and David A. Muller and Joseph Orenstein and Yuan Ping and Berit H. Goodge and D. Kwabena Bediako},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.22686},
year = {2025}
}