Researchers modify graphene to make the material both magnetic and with spin-orbit interaction

Researchers from Russia, Germany and Spain managed to modify graphene to make the material both magnetic and with spin-orbit interaction, for the first time. This could make graphene suitable for quantum computers.

To achieve these new properties, the researchers combined graphene with gold and cobalt. The spin-orbit interaction, unlike in gold, is extremely small in graphene. The interaction between graphene and gold increases the spin-orbit interaction in graphene, while interaction between graphene and cobalt induced magnetism.