Spintronics in Graphene and Two-Dimensional Materials

Spintronics exploits the intrinsic spin of electrons and its associated magnetic moment, offering a pathway to devices with low power consumption and novel functionalities. Graphene and related two-dimensional (2D) materials stand at the forefront of this endeavour, owing to their exceptional carrier mobility, tunable band structure and compatibility with van der Waals assembly. Pristine graphene exhibits long spin diffusion lengths and weak intrinsic spin–orbit coupling, enabling rapid spin transport over micrometre scales at room temperature. However, its low native spin–orbit interaction limits the control of spin dynamics. Hybrid structures that combine graphene with transition metal dichalcogenides or magnetic insulators can enhance spin–orbit coupling, induce proximity magnetism and enable gate-tunable spin transport. These advances pave the way for applications such as spin logic switches, non-volatile memory and topological quantum devices, while challenging researchers to master the interfacial engineering of 2D layers and preserve spin coherence.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated efficient spin injection in graphene devices using ferromagnetic van der Waals contacts of indium and cobalt, eliminating the need for conventional dielectric tunnel barriers. This approach yields magnetoresistance values around 1.5 percent and spin signals near 50 Ω, comparable to state-of-the-art oxide-barrier devices, with device yields exceeding 70 percent and contact resistances suitable for CMOS integration. In parallel, quantitative imaging of quasiparticle interference in graphene on tungsten diselenide has provided a direct measure of induced spin–orbit coupling. Fourier analysis of scanning tunnelling microscopy data reveals a valley-Zeeman term of approximately 2 meV and a Rashba term of roughly 15 meV — values substantially larger than theoretical expectations — validating transport experiments and offering a robust methodology to characterise interface-induced spin–orbit fields.

Spintronics in Graphene and Two-Dimensional Materials publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in spintronics in graphene and two-dimensional materials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

van der Waals heterostructure: A stack of atomically thin layers bonded by van der Waals forces, allowing tailored interfaces without chemical bonds.

Spin injection: The transfer of spin-polarised electrons from a ferromagnetic material into a non-magnetic conductor.

Spin–orbit coupling (SOC): An interaction between an electron’s spin and its orbital motion, enabling spin manipulation via electric fields.

Rashba effect: A type of spin–orbit interaction arising in systems with structural inversion asymmetry, causing momentum-dependent spin splitting.

Spin relaxation time (τs): The average time over which a spin ensemble maintains its initial orientation before randomising.

References

1. Spin injection in graphene using ferromagnetic van der Waals contacts of indium and cobalt. Nature Electronics (2025).
2. Determining spin-orbit coupling in graphene by quasiparticle interference imaging. Nature Communications (2023).
3. Substrate effects on spin relaxation in two-dimensional Dirac materials with strong spin-orbit coupling. npj Computational Materials (2023).
4. Origin and Magnitude of ‘Designer’ Spin-Orbit Interaction in Graphene on Semiconducting Transition Metal Dichalcogenides. Physical Review X (2016).