Abstract

The design of a spin imbalance within the crystallographic unit cell of bottom-up engineered 1D graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) gives rise to nonzero magnetic moments within each cell. Here, we demonstrate the bottom-up assembly and spectroscopic characterization of a one-dimensional Kondo spin chain formed by a chevron-type GNR (cGNR) physisorbed on Au(111). Substitutional nitrogen core doping introduces a pair of low-lying occupied states per monomer within the semiconducting gap of cGNRs. Charging resulting from the interaction with the gold substrate quenches one electronic state for each monomer, leaving behind a 1D chain of radical cations commensurate with the unit cell of the ribbon. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) reveal the signature of a Kondo resonance emerging from the interaction of S = 1/2 spin centers in each monomer core with itinerant electrons in the Au substrate. STM tip lift-off experiments locally reduce the effective screening of the unpaired radical cation being lifted, revealing a robust exchange coupling between neighboring spin centers. First-principles DFT-LSDA calculations support the presence of magnetic moments in the core of this GNR when it is placed on Au.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.