Graphene given magnetic properties

The development, published in Nature Physics, is said to enable the possible development of graphene based spintronic devices. "In spite of the huge efforts to date of scientists all over the world, it has not been possible to add the magnetic properties required to develop graphene based spintronics. However these results pave the way to this possibility," highlights Professor Rodolfo Miranda, director of IMDEA-Nanociencia. The researchers have 'magnetised' graphene by growing an ultra perfect grapheme film over a ruthenium single crystal inside an ultra high vacuum chamber in which organic molecules of tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (TCNQ) were evaporated on the grapheme surface. The process resulted in the organic molecules distributing themselves across the surface, and interacting electronically with the graphene-ruthenium substrate. The result is said to be the formation of a graphene based magnetised layer.