Density functional investigation of spin polarization in bulk and thin films of nitrogen intercalated Cu3N

TL;DR

This study uses first-principles density functional theory to investigate spin polarization in nitrogen-intercalated Cu3N bulk and thin films, revealing that magnetism vanishes after structural relaxation in bulk but persists in certain thin film configurations.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the magnetic properties of nitrogen-intercalated Cu3N, showing the influence of structural relaxation and film thickness on spin polarization, which was not previously understood.

Findings

Magnetism in bulk Cu3N2 vanishes after structural relaxation.

Thin films with 7 and 11 monolayers initially show magnetic moments.

The 11-monolayer film maintains magnetism due to a quantum size effect.

Abstract

It has been reported theoretically that the intercalation of nitrogen in the voids of the rather open cubic structure of bulk Cu3N build up a magnetic structure. In an extended effort to study this system, we have investigated spin polarization in bulk and thin films of nitrogen intercalated Cu3N (Cu3N2) structure by means of first-principles calculations based on Kohn-Sham density functional theory and ultrasoft pseudopotentials technique. Contrary to the previous study, the results show that after an accurate structural relaxation of the system, magnetism in the bulk structure vanishes. This effect is due to the migration of the intercalated nitrogen atom from the body center of the cell to the nearness of one of the cell faces. Similar study for the thin films of 5, 7, 9 and 11 monolayers thickness was performed and it was found that initial relaxation of structures with 7 and 11 monolayers show a net magnetic moment of 2.6 {\mu}B. By a more extended survey of the energy surfaces, the film with 7 monolayers loses its magnetic moment similar to the bulk structure but the film with 11 monolayers maintains its magnetic moment. It is possibly a new quantum size effect that keeps the intercalated nitrogen atom of the middlemost cell at the body center site. Electron density map of this film clearly confirms the spin polarization upon the intercalated atom.