Unconventional electronic and magnetic functions of nanographene-based host–guest systems

Abstract

Nanographene has a unique electronic structure which critically depends on the shape of its edge. A zigzag-edged nanographene sheet has a non-bonding π-electron state (edge state), yielding a strong spin magnetism for edge-state localized spins, in spite of the absence of such a state in an armchair-edged nanographene sheet. Nanographite (stacked nanographene sheets)-network-based nanoporous carbon is employed as the host material to build unconventional magnetic systems based on the host–guest interaction. The physisorption of various guest materials can cause a reversible low-spin/high-spin magnetic switching phenomenon, whose feature varies depending on the type of guest species. The edge-state spins are utilized as a probe to detect a huge condensation of helium atoms in the nanopores. The giant magnetoresistance of the nanographite network is controlled by the physisorption of magnetic oxygen molecules. The confinement of potassium clusters in the nanopores surrounded by nanographite domains yields an interesting nanomagnetic state. Nanographene/nanographite is an intriguing π-electron-based nanocarbon material with the potential of producing unconventional magnetic structures that cannot be obtained using bulk graphite. The processability of nanographene/nanographite is expected to give a variety of magnetic functions for spintronic applications.