Magnetic moment and anisotropy of individual Co atoms on graphene

F. Donati, Q. Dubout, G. Autès, F. Patthey, F. Calleja, P. Gambardella, O. V. Yazyev, H. Brune

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

120 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report on the magnetic properties of single Co atoms on graphene on Pt(111). By means of scanning tunneling microscopy spin-excitation spectroscopy, we infer a magnetic anisotropy of K=-8.1 meV with out-of-plane hard axis and a magnetic moment of 2.2μB. Co adsorbs on the sixfold graphene hollow site. Upon hydrogen adsorption, three differently hydrogenated species are identified. Their magnetic properties are very different from those of clean Co. Ab initio calculations support our results and reveal that the large magnetic anisotropy stems from strong ligand field effects due to the interaction between Co and graphene orbitals.

Original languageEnglish
Article number236801
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume111
Issue number23
DOIs
StatePublished - 3 Dec 2013

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