Magnetism in Intercalated Graphene

Using density functional calculations we explore the possibilities of inducing spin moments in otherwise nonmagnetic electronic structure of graphene. Through intercalation of H, N, O and F atoms between two hexagonal stacked graphene layers, we show that unpaired electrons can be generated when the planar coordinates of the functional atoms coincide with the center of the graphene hexagon. The spin-half states are realized at the functional sites for certain values of interlayer separations. For oxygen and fluorine these interlayer separations represent the natural stable phases and for hydrogen and nitrogen they induce instability which can be overcome by applying external pressure. We attribute the formation of spin-half states to the one dimensional confinement potential exerted by the graphene layers on the valence electrons of the functional elements.