Strong ferromagnetism of g-C3N4 achieved by atomic manipulation

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) metal-free ferromagnetic materials are ideal candidates to fabricate next-generation memory and logic devices, but optimization of their ferromagnetism at atomic-scale remains challenging. Theoretically, optimization of ferromagnetism could be achieved by inducing long-range magnetic sequence, which requires short-range exchange interactions. In this work, we propose a strategy to enhance the ferromagnetism of 2D graphite carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), which is facilitating the short-range exchange interaction by introducing in-planar boron bridges. As expected, the ferromagnetism of g-C₃N₄ was significantly enhanced after the introduction of boron bridges, consistent with theoretical calculations. Overall, boosting ferromagnetism of 2D materials by introducing bridging groups is emphasized, which could be applied to manipulate the magnetism of other materials.

Metal free’ materials offer a cheap and chemical benign platform for magnetism, however, the typical source of magnetism are unpaired electrons of a metal, thus designing ‘metal free’ magnetic materials represents a significant challenge. Here, Du et al present a strategy for enhancing the magnetism in carbon nitride using boron bridges.