Width-Tuned Magnetic Order Oscillation on Zigzag Edges of Honeycomb Nanoribbons

Quantum confinement and interference often generate exotic properties in nanostructures. One recent highlight is the experimental indication of a magnetic phase transition in zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbons at the critical ribbon width of about 7 nm [ Magda, G. Z. et al. Nature 2014, 514, 608 ]. H...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano letters 2017-07, Vol.17 (7), p.4400-4404
Main Authors: Chen, Wen-Chao, Zhou, Yuan, Yu, Shun-Li, Yin, Wei-Guo, Gong, Chang-De
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
edge magnetism
Friedel oscillation
Graphene
MATERIALS SCIENCE
metal−insulator transition
nanoribbon
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Summary:Quantum confinement and interference often generate exotic properties in nanostructures. One recent highlight is the experimental indication of a magnetic phase transition in zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbons at the critical ribbon width of about 7 nm [ Magda, G. Z. et al. Nature 2014, 514, 608 ]. Here we show theoretically that with further increase in the ribbon width, the magnetic correlation of the two edges can exhibit an intriguing oscillatory behavior between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic, driven by acquiring the positive coherence between the two edges to lower the free energy. The oscillation effect is readily tunable in applied magnetic fields. These novel properties suggest new experimental manifestation of the edge magnetic orders in graphene nanoribbons and enhance the hopes of graphene-like spintronic nanodevices functioning at room temperature.
ISSN:1530-6984
1530-6992
DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b01474