Thermally induced currents in graphene-based heterostructure

Abstract

We investigate thermally induced currents in a zigzag graphene nanoribbon (ZGNR) heterostructure, consisting of hydrogen-terminated ZGNR (ZGNR-H) and oxygen-terminated ZGNR (ZGNR-O), under different electronic and magnetic states. Compared to a pure ZGNR-H system, the heterostructure displays a considerably larger thermally induced current due to its asymmetric transmission spectrum. Moreover, the magnetized ZGNR-H/ZGNR-O shows spin filter and magnetoresistance effects, suggesting potential applications of the ZGNR-H/ZGNR-O heterostructures in thermoelectric and spintronics devices. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.