Half Metallicity in Hybrid BCN Nanoribbons

Kan, Er-Jun; Wu, Xiaojun; Li, Zhenyu; Zeng, X. C.; Yang, Jinlong; Hou, J. G.

Half Metallicity in Hybrid BCN Nanoribbons

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Description

We report a first-principles electronic-structure calculation on C and BN hybrid zigzag nanoribbons. We find that half-metallicity can arise in the hybrid nanoribbons even though stand-alone C or BN nanoribbon possesses a finite band gap. This unexpected half-metallicity in the hybrid nanos-tructures stems from a competition between the charge and spin polarizations, as well as from the pi orbital hybridization between C and BN. Our results point out a possibility of making spintronic devices solely based on nanoribbons and a new way of designing metal-free half metals.