Spintronic properties of graphene films grown on Ni(111) substrate

Abstract

Graphene is believed to be a promising candidate for spintronic applications. In this study, we investigate the electronic, magnetic, and, especially, spintronic properties of graphene films grown on Ni(111) substrate using relativistic density-functional calculations. Enhanced Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC), with a magnitude of up to 20 meV—several orders of magnitude larger than the intrinsic SOC strength in freestanding graphene—is found at the graphene–Ni(111) interface. The hybridization between graphene’s pz states and Ni’s 3d states magnetizes the interfacial carbon atoms and induces a sizable exchange splitting in the π band of the graphene sheet. The calculated results agree well with the recently reported experimental data and provide a deep understanding of the spintronic behavior of graphene in contact with a 3d-ferromagnet.