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Spin Density Waves In Periodically Strained Graphene Nanoribbons, Nabil M. Al-Aqtash, Renat F. Sabirianov

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs) are antiferromagnetic in the ground state with zero net magnetization due to the compensation of contributions from opposite edges. Uniform deformations (both shear and axial) do not produce magnetization due to symmetry restrictions. However, we report the results of first-principles calculations that predict the induction of spin density waves (SDWs) in ZGNRs under non-uniform periodic strain. Using the density functional theory (DFT) method, we show that a sinusoidal magnetization variation along the axis of the ribbon occurs under a sinusoidal transversal shear strain. SDWs appear due to the presence of a strain gradient that induced asymmetry …