A possible source of spin-polarized electrons: The inert graphene/Ni(111) system

Abstract

We report on an investigation of spin-polarized secondary electron emission from the chemically inert system: graphene/Ni(111). An ordered passivated graphene layer (monolayer of graphite, MG) was formed on Ni(111) surface via cracking of propylene gas. The spin-polarization of the secondary electrons obtained from this system upon photoemission is only slightly lower than the one from the clean Ni surface, but does not change upon large oxygen exposure. These results suggest to use such passivated Ni(111) surface as a source of spin-polarized electrons stable against adsorption of reactive gases.

Exchange-split interface state at h-BN/Ni(111)

“…Similarly, a 30% reduction of the spin polarization was detected upon adsorption. [42] (ii) Our picture-frame single crystal is no longer in a onedomain state when remanently magnetized. The numerous preparation sputter/anneal cycles presumably helped to reduce the strain/stress-induced anisotropy responsible for the formerly observed one-domain state in remanence.…”

Atomic and electronic structure of simple metal/graphene and complex metal/graphene/metal interfaces

“…al. 29 . In our calculations of the simple Ni/graphene interface in the lowest top-fcc configuration, a substantial decrease in Ni magnetic moment of the topmost Ni layer interact- ing with graphene was found, from 0.71µ B to 0.47µ B , which is in good agreement with experiment, from 0.72 µ B to 0.52 µ B 29 .…”

“…In particular, spin injection and spin transport have been achieved at room temperature in graphene based spin valves 28 . Magnetic properties of nickel/graphene interfaces were studied both experimentally [29][30][31] and theoretically 25 ; appreciable induced magnetic moments in carbon atoms of Ni(111)-supported graphene were found to be between 0.05-0.1 µ B . Even larger induced magnetic moments, 0.2-0.25 µ B , were observed in Feintercalated graphene on Ni substrate 32,33 .…”

Local electronic properties of the graphene-protected giant Rashba-split BiAg2 surface

“…This property is particularly exciting when graphene is deposited or formed on the surface of a ferromagnet or a material which exhibits strong spin-orbit interaction [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Here, interfacial contact between graphene and the respective material might lead to the appearance of different new phenomena in graphene and at the interface, such as induced magnetism in graphene [20][21][22], possible induced spin-orbit splitting of the graphene π states [23,24], conservation of spin-polarized electron emission from the underlying ferromagnetic material [13,15], etc.Previously published works on the adsorption of graphene on the surfaces of heavy materials, such as Ir (111) and Au(111), demonstrate that such contacts only weakly modify the dispersion of the spin-orbit split surface states of the metal surface. Adsorption of graphene merely leads to a rigid shift of the respective surface states to smaller binding energies [16,25,26], which was explained by the stronger localization of the surface state wave function, leading to a corresponding energy shift.…”

“…This property is particularly exciting when graphene is deposited or formed on the surface of a ferromagnet or a material which exhibits strong spin-orbit interaction [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Here, interfacial contact between graphene and the respective material might lead to the appearance of different new phenomena in graphene and at the interface, such as induced magnetism in graphene [20][21][22], possible induced spin-orbit splitting of the graphene π states [23,24], conservation of spin-polarized electron emission from the underlying ferromagnetic material [13,15], etc.…”