The paper presents the results of ab initio study of the opportunities for tuning the band structure, magnetic and transport properties of zigzag graphene nanoribbon (8-ZGNR) on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN(0001)) semiconductor heterostructure by transverse electric field (E(ext)). This study was performed within the framework of the density functional theory (DFT) using Grimme's (DFT-D2) scheme. We established the critical values of E(ext) for the 8-ZGNR/h-BN(0001) heterostructure, thereby providing for semiconductor-halfmetal transition in one of electron spin configurations. This study also showed that the degeneration in energy of the localized edge states is removed when E(ext) is applied. In ZGNR/h-BN (0001) heterostructure, value of the splitting energy was higher than one in ZGNRs without substrate. We determined the effect of low E(ext) applied to the 8-ZGNR/h-BN (0001) semiconductor heterostructure on the preserved local magnetic moment (LMM) (0.3μ(B)) of edge carbon atoms. The transport properties of the 8-ZGNR/h-BN(0001) semiconductor heterostructure can be controlled using E(ext). In particular, at a critical value of the positive potential, the electron mobility can increase to 7× 10(5) cm(2)/V s or remain at zero in the spin-up and spin-down electron subsystems, respectively. We established that magnetic moments (MMs), band gaps, and carrier mobility can be altered using E(ext). These abilities enable the use of 8-ZGNR/h-BN(0001) semiconductor heterostructure in spintronics.

Results of ab initio study of magnetism and transport properties of charge carriers in zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNR) on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN(0001)) substrate are presented within the density functional theory framework. Peculiarities of the interface band structure and its role in the formation of magnetism and transport properties of the ZGNR/h-BN(0001) heterostructure have been studied using two different density functional approximations. The effect of the substrate and graphene nanoribbons width on the low-energy spectrum of π-electrons, local magnetic moments on atoms of interface, and charge carriers mobility in the ZGNR/h-BN(0001) heterostructures have been established for the first time. The regularity consisting in the charge carrier mobility growth with decrease of dimers number in nanoribbon was also established. It is found that the charge carriers mobility in the N-ZGNR/h-BN(0001) (N—number of carbon (C) dimers) heterostructures is 5% higher than in freestanding ZGNR.

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The results of DFT (GGA-PBEsol) and DFT(PBE)-D2 study of the band structure of zigzag graphene nanoribbons on hexagonal nitride boron 8-ZGNR/h-BN(0001) are presented, suitable as potential base for new materials for spintronics. It offers a study of regularities in the changes of the valence band electron structure and the induction of the energy gap in the series 8-ZGNR → 8-ZGNR/h-BN(0001) → graphene/h-BN(0001). The peculiarities of the spin state at the Fermi level, the roles of the edge effect and the effect of substrate in formation of the band gap in 8-ZGNR/h-BN(0001) system are discussed. Our calculations shown that vdW-correction plays an important role in the adsorption of GNR on h-BN and results in reduction of the interplanar distances in equilibrium systems ZGNRs/h-BN(0001). As a result of the structural changes we have obtained new values of the energy gap in the 8-ZGNR-AF and 8-ZGNR-AF/h-BN(0001) systems. The paper demonstrates appearance of 600 meV energy gap in the 8-ZGNR/h-BN(0001) interface. The contributions of nanoribbon edges and the substrate in formation of the gap have been differentiated for the first time. The estimations of local magnetic moments on carbon atoms are made. Shown that in case of ferromagnetic ordering substrate presense causes insignificant splitting of the bands. The splitting reached only (14-28 meV). Since the electronic states of a suspended GNR in point (k=π) are degenerate near the Fermi level, we can assume that the above splitting in 8-ZGNR/h-BN(0001) is only determined by the contribution of the h-BN(0001) substrate.

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