Gate-Tunable Magnetism and Giant Magnetoresistance in Suspended Rhombohedral-Stacked Few-Layer Graphene

Abstract

Conventionally, magnetism arises from the strong exchange interaction among the magnetic moments of d- or f-shell electrons. It can also emerge in perfect lattices from nonmagnetic elements, such as that exemplified by the Stoner criterion. Here we report tunable magnetism in suspended rhombohedral-stacked few-layer graphene (r-FLG) devices with flat bands. At small doping levels (<i>n</i> ∼ 10¹¹ cm^-2), we observe prominent conductance hysteresis and giant magnetoconductance that exceeds 1000% as a function of magnetic fields. Both phenomena are tunable by density and temperature and disappear at <i>n</i> > 10¹² cm^-2 or <i>T</i> > 5 K. These results are confirmed by first-principles calculations, which indicate the formation of a half-metallic state in doped r-FLG, in which the magnetization is tunable by electric field. Our combined experimental and theoretical work demonstrate that magnetism and spin polarization, arising from the strong electronic interactions in flat bands, emerge in a system composed entirely of carbon atoms.