Magnetically Controlling the Explosion of Dirac Fermions during the Oxidation of Graphene

TL;DR

This study investigates how weak magnetic fields influence the oxidation behavior of graphene and graphite, revealing magnetically controlled explosive oxidation linked to Dirac and Pauli spin symmetries.

Contribution

It is the first to analyze and interpret the magnetochemistry of Dirac spins and relativistic electrons during oxidation of graphene and graphite.

Findings

Graphite shows enhanced non-explosive oxidation in magnetic fields.

Graphene exhibits explosive oxidation that is decelerated by magnetic fields below 20°C.

Magnetic effects are linked to the spin Hall Effect and nonlocality in graphene.

Abstract

The different physical properties of multilayered graphene or graphite relative to single layer graphene result from the Dirac spins symmetry in graphene and the Pauli spin symmetry in graphite. The Dirac symmetry in multilayers of graphene (graphite) is hindered by interlayer interactions. Different magnetizations, electronics and chemistry of graphite and graphene follow from absence of interlayer interactions in graphene. The distinct kinetics and dynamics of graphite and graphene by oxidation by the Hummer's method in weak external magnetic field are observed in this work. Graphite manifest enhanced non-explosive oxidation of Pauli spins in weak magnetic field with background paramagnetic oxygen slowing the magnetic acceleration. Graphene and graphite oxide manifest explosive oxidation and magnetically decelerated explosive oxidation of Dirac spins in weak magnetic field for temperatures below 20 oCelsius. The explosive oxidation of graphene and its deceleration in weak external magnetic field are interpreted resulting from the giant nonlocality and spin Hall Effect in the chemically reacting graphene. This is the first identification, analysis and interpretation of the chemistry of the Dirac spins and the magnetochemistry of relativistic electrons.