Dirac Material Graphene

TL;DR

This paper discusses the spin-related properties of graphene, highlighting its potential as a topological insulator and explaining its high-temperature ferromagnetism and chemical activity through experimental and theoretical evidence.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perspective on graphene's spin-rooted properties, linking them to its topological nature and chemical behavior, which are not widely recognized in prior research.

Findings

Graphene exhibits spin polarization effects due to different orbitals for different spins.

Graphene can be considered a topological insulator based on its electronic properties.

The paper links these properties to challenges in converting graphene into a semiconductor.

Abstract

The paper presents the author view on spin-rooted properties of graphene supported by numerous experimental and calculation evidences. Dirac fermions of crystalline graphene and local spins of graphene molecules are suggested to meet a strict demand - different orbitals for different spins- which leads to a large spectrum of effects caused by spin polarization of electronic states. The consequent topological non-triviality, making graphene topological insulator, and local spins, imaging graphene chemical activity, are proposed to discuss such peculiar properties of graphene as high temperature ferromagnetism and outstanding chemical behavior. The connection of these new findings with difficulties met at attempting to convert semimetal graphene into semiconductor one is discussed.