UC Berkeley

This dissertation primarily explores the nature and consequences of frustration and disorder in the intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide FexNbS2. This exploration is done mainly through the unconventional measurement of resistivity changes in response to brief electrical stimuli. These measurements uncover surprising details of the system, which are otherwise very difficult to observe, and they are an end in and of themselves, establishing a promising path towards low-energy antiferromagnetic spintronics. This work also includes measurements in high magnetic fields which elucidate the phase diagram and microscopic interactions in this system, more conventional measurements which supplement our understanding, and studies of close relatives of FexNbS2 with an eye towards their potential applications and the insights they can allow into their sister compounds.