dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaFerromagnetic Insulator to Metal Transition in Non-Centrosymmetric Graphene Nanoribbons
| Authors | Aidan P. Delgado, Michael C. Daugherty, Weichen Tang, Steven G. Louie, Felix R. Fischer |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | 2601.07083vv1 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.07083 |
| License | http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/ |
Abstract
Engineering sublattice imbalance within the unit cell of bottom-up synthesized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) represents a versatile tool for realizing custom-tailored quantum nanomaterials. The interaction between low-energy zero-modes (ZMs) not only contributes to frontier bands but can form the basis for magnetically ordered phases. Here, we present the bottom-up synthesis of a non-centrosymmetric GNR that places all ZMs on the majority sublattice sites. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy reveal that strong electron-electron correlation drives the system into a ferromagnetically ordered insulating ground state featuring a sizeable band gap of Eg ~ 1.2 eV. At higher temperatures, a chemical transformation induces an insulator-to-metal transition that quenches the ferro-magnetic order. Tight-binding (TB) and first-principles density functional theory calculations corroborate our experimental observations. This work showcases how control over molecular symmetry, sublattice polarization, and ZM hybridization in bottom-up synthesized nanographenes can open a path to the exploration of many-body physics in rationally designed quantum materials.
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"abstract": "Engineering sublattice imbalance within the unit cell of bottom-up synthesized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) represents a versatile tool for realizing custom-tailored quantum nanomaterials. The interaction between low-energy zero-modes (ZMs) not only contributes to frontier bands but can form the basis for magnetically ordered phases. Here, we present the bottom-up synthesis of a non-centrosymmetric GNR that places all ZMs on the majority sublattice sites. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy reveal that strong electron-electron correlation drives the system into a ferromagnetically ordered insulating ground state featuring a sizeable band gap of Eg ~ 1.2 eV. At higher temperatures, a chemical transformation induces an insulator-to-metal transition that quenches the ferro-magnetic order. Tight-binding (TB) and first-principles density functional theory calculations corroborate our experimental observations. This work showcases how control over molecular symmetry, sublattice polarization, and ZM hybridization in bottom-up synthesized nanographenes can open a path to the exploration of many-body physics in rationally designed quantum materials.",
"arxiv_id": "2601.07083",
"authors": [
"Aidan P. Delgado",
"Michael C. Daugherty",
"Weichen Tang",
"Steven G. Louie",
"Felix R. Fischer"
],
"categories": [
"cond-mat.str-el",
"cond-mat.mtrl-sci"
],
"license": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
"title": "Ferromagnetic Insulator to Metal Transition in Non-Centrosymmetric Graphene Nanoribbons",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.07083",
"version": "v1"
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