MAGNETISM IN GRAPHENE SYSTEMS

Abstract

Graphene has attracted great interest in materials science, owing to its novel electronic structures. Recently, magnetism discovered in graphene-based systems has opened up the possibility of their spintronics application. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the magnetic behaviors and electronic structures of graphene systems, including two-dimensional graphene, one-dimensional graphene nanoribbons, and zero-dimensional graphene nanoclusters. Theoretical research suggests that such metal-free magnetism mainly comes from the localized states or edges states. By applying an external electric field, or by chemical modification, we can turn the zigzag nanoribbon systems into half metal, thus obtaining a perfect spin filter.