Heterospin Junctions in Zigzag-Edged Graphene Nanoribbons

Applied Sciences

Eduardo C. Girão¹  Liangbo Liang² 

[1] Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Piauí, CEP 64049-550, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil; E-Mail:;Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: graphene nanoribbons;    edge states;    quantum transport;    Green’s functions;   

DOI  :  10.3390/app4030351

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

We propose a graphene nanoribbon-based heterojunction, where a defect-free interface separates two zigzag graphene nanoribbons prepared in opposite antiferromagnetic spin configurations. This heterospin junction is found to allow the redirecting of low-energy electrons from one edge to the other. The basic scattering mechanisms and their relation to the system’s geometry are investigated through a combination of Landauer–Green’s function and the S-matrix and eigen-channel methods within a tight-binding + Hubbard model validated with density functional theory. The findings demonstrate the possibility of using zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbons (zGNRs) in complex networks where current can be transmitted across the entire system, instead of following the shortest paths along connected edges belonging to the same sub-lattice.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland