Strain-enhanced edge ferromagnetism and bipolar magnetic semiconducting behavior in Janus graphene nanoribbons

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that strain can significantly enhance ferromagnetism and induce bipolar magnetic semiconducting behavior in Janus graphene nanoribbons, making them promising for spintronic applications.

Contribution

It reveals strain-induced enhancement of ferromagnetism and reversible magnetic phase transition in Janus graphene nanoribbons, a novel approach for tunable spintronic materials.

Findings

Ferromagnetism persists across widths 2-6 with bandgaps over 200 meV.

Uniaxial strain increases Curie temperature to 222K at 25% strain.

Strain induces a reversible transition to bipolar magnetic semiconductor.

Abstract

Using first-principles density functional theory and determinant quantum Monte Carlo methods, we show that Janus graphene nanoribbons with topological defect arrays ($m=2$) exhibit robust intrinsic ferromagnetism across widths $W=2-6$, with bandgaps exceeding 200 $meV$ and stable ferromagnetic ground states. Notably, uniaxial tensile strain significantly enhances their ferromagnetic properties: at 25\% strain, the Curie temperature increases to $222K$, a fivefold improvement over unstrained systems and the highest reported for graphene-based nanoribbons. Strain also induces a reversible transition to a bipolar magnetic semiconductor, with spin-flipped valence and conduction band edges beyond 10\% strain. This dual functionality, strain-enhanced ferromagnetism and strain-induced spin flip, stems from strain-modulated $p_{z}$ orbital hybridization and strong direct exchange interaction. Among these, $W=5$ Janus graphene nanoribbons emerge as potential candidates for room-temperature spintronic devices and strain-programmable quantum transport systems.