Hexagonal boron-nitride nanomesh magnets

Abstract

The formation of magnetic and spintronic devices using two-dimensional (2D) atom-thin layers has attracted attention. Ferromagnetisms (FMs) arising from zigzag-type atomic structure of edges of 2D atom-thin materials have been experimentally observed in graphene nanoribbons, hydrogen (H)-terminated graphene nanomeshes (NMs), and few-layer oxygen (O)-terminated black phosphorus NMs. Herein, we report room-temperature edge FM in few-layer hexagonal boron-nitride (hBN) NMs. O-terminated hBNNMs annealed at 500 °C show the largest FM, while it completely disappears in H-terminated hBNNMs. When hBNNMs are annealed at other temperatures, amplitude of the FM significantly decreases. These are highly in contrast to the case of graphene NMs but similar to the cases of black phosphorus NM and suggest that the hybridization of the O atoms with B(N) dangling bonds of zigzag pore edges, formed at the 500 °C annealing, strongly contribute to this edge FM. Room-temperature FM realizable only by exposing hBNNMs into air opens the way for high-efficiency 2D flexible magnetic and spintronic devices without the use of rare magnetic elements.