First-Principles Study of 3D Transition Metal Doped Single-Layer Graphene

Abstract

The electronic structure and magnetic properties of C atoms in Co, Ni-substituted graphene single-layers were studied by first-principles calculation method based on density functional theory. The study found that the pure graphene single-layer is an insulator, does not have magnetism, and we found that the doping of Co and Ni atoms alone does not make the system magnetic. Both Co and Ni atoms are capable of generating impurity levels in the graphene single-layer system. The impurity level of Co atom doping is 0.75 eV below the Fermi level, and the impurity level of Ni atom doping is 0.4 eV above the Fermi level. Studies on the coupling doping of Co and Ni atoms show that two different distance Co atoms or Ni atoms in the graphene single-layer are not always ferromagnetically coupled, and a stable magnetic ground state cannot be obtained. It can produce different magnetic ground states by controlling different doping distances, thus we provide one new way to control the spin properties.