Delocalized spin states at zigzag termini of armchair graphene nanoribbon

Abstract

Abstract Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy we demonstrate a revival of magnetism in 7-armchair nanoribbon by unpassivated atoms at the termini. Namely, a pair of intense Kondo resonances emerges at the peripheries of zigzag terminus revealing the many-body screening effects of local magnetic moments. Although Kondo resonance originates from a missing local orbital, it extends to a distance of 2.5 nm along the edge of the ribbon. The results are complemented by density functional theory calculations which suggest a possible coupling between Kondo states despite screening effects of substrate electrons. These findings indicate a possibility to restore intrinsic magnetic ordering in graphene nanoribbon without major structural modifications.

Keywords

• Graphene nanoribbon
• Spin states
• Kondo effect
• Spin–spin correlations