Tunable magnetism of a single-carbon vacancy in graphene

Abstract

Removing a single-carbon vacancy introduces (quasi-)localized states for both and electrons in graphene. Interactions between the localized dangling bond and quasilocalized electrons of a single-carbon vacancy in graphene are predicted to control its magnetism. However, experimentally confirming this prediction through manipulating the interactions between the and electrons remains an outstanding challenge. Here we report the manipulation of magnetism of individual single-carbon vacancy in graphene by using a scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) tip. Our spin-polarized STM measurements, complemented by density functional theory calculations, indicate that interactions between the localized and quasilocalized electrons could split the electrons into two states with opposite spins even when they are well above the Fermi level. Via the STM tip, we successfully manipulate both the magnitude and direction of magnetic moment of the electrons with respect to that of the electrons. Three different magnetic states of the single-carbon vacancy, exhibiting magnetic moments of about 1.6, 0.5, and 0 respectively, are realized in our experiment.

arXiv comment4 figures

References in corpus (15)

• Graphene Spintronics
• Magnetism in Graphene Induced by Single-Atom Defects
• The missing atom as a source of carbon magnetism
• Spin-half paramagnetism in graphene induced by point defects
• Atomic-scale control of graphene magnetism using hydrogen atoms
• Tunable Kondo Effect in Graphene with Defects
• Pressure-induced commensurate stacking of graphene on boron nitride
• Electronic structure of the substitutional vacancy in graphene: Density-functional and Green's function studies
• A critical analysis of vacancy-induced magnetism in mono and bilayer graphene
• Bistability and oscillatory motion of natural nano-membranes appearing within monolayer graphene on silicon dioxide
• Inducing Kondo Screening of Vacancy Magnetic Moments in Graphene with Gating and Local Curvature
• Quantum Critical Transition and Kondo Screening of Magnetic Moments in Graphene
• Effect of temperature-dependent shape anisotropy on coercivity with aligned Stoner-Wohlfarth soft ferromagnets
• Intertwined Lattice Deformation and Magnetism in Monovacancy Graphene
• Competing magnetism in $\pi$ electrons in graphene with a single carbon vacancy