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

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 p(z) states and Ni's 3d states magnetizes the interfacial carbon atoms and induces a sizable exchange splitting in the p 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. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3622618]