Temperature-controlled colossal magnetoresistance and perfect spin Seebeck effect in hybrid graphene/boron nitride nanoribbons

Abstract

Thermal spin transport properties of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride nanoribbon heterojunctions have been investigated using density functional theory calculations combined with the Keldysh nonequilibrium Green's function approach. The results showed that the perfect spin Seebeck effect and analogy negative differential thermoelectric resistance occurred in the device under a temperature difference without a gate or bias voltage. An intriguing thermally induced colossal magnetoresistance without gate regulation was also observed, which can be switched between a positive and negative value with temperature control. It was also found that the unit number of zigzag graphene nanoribbons and boron nitride nanoribbons can tune the electronic band structure and the energy gap of the heterostructure, and then modulate the thermal spin transport properties. The results suggest that graphene and hexagonal boron nitride nanoribbon heterostructures may have potential applications in graphene-based nanodevices.