C. G. Bezerra

Wasp-waisted behavior in magnetic hysteresis curves of CoFe2O4 nanopowder at a low temperature: experimental evidence and theoretical approach

We theoretically and experimentally investigated wasp-waisted magnetic hysteresis curves at a low temperature for CoFe2O4 nanopowders. Our theoretical approach proposes a physical mechanism that leads to wasp-waisted behavior for a single magnetic phase with the same anisotropic field, contrary to that of typical multi-phase magnetic systems. Our simulations show that a combination of effects, namely easy-plane anisotropy configuration and dipolar interactions, results in a double peak in the magnetic susceptibility curve of a granular magnetic system. As experimental evidence of such an effect, we present a CoFe2O4 nanopowder and its structural and magnetic characterizations, which support a single magnetic phase. In addition, the evidence does not corroborate many explanations reported in the literature for wasp-waisted magnetic behavior. Our results provide evidence for a tetragonal crystalline phase of CoFe2O4 due to magneto-elastic coupling, recently reported in the literature.

Quantifying magnetic anisotropy dispersion : theoretical and experimental study of the magnetic properties of anisotropic FeCuNbSiB ferromagnetic films

The Stoner-Wohlfarth model is a traditional and efficient tool to calculate magnetization curves and it can provides further insights on the fundamental physics associated to the magnetic properties and magnetization dynamics. Here, we perform a theoretical and experimental investigation of the quasi-static magnetic properties of anisotropic systems. We consider a theoretical approach which corresponds to a modified version of the Stoner-Wohlfarth model to describe anisotropic systems and a distribution function to express the magnetic anistropy dispersion. We propose a procedure to calculate the magnetic properties for the anisotropic case of the SW model from experimental results of the quadrature of magnetization curves, thus quantifying the magnetic anisotropy dispersion. To test the robustness of the approach, we apply the theoretical model to describe the quasi-static magnetic properties of amorphous FeCuNbSiB ferromagnetic films. We perform calculations and directly compare theoretical results with longitudinal and transverse magnetization curves measured for the films. Thus, our results provide experimental evidence to confirm the validity of the theoretical approach to describe the magnetic properties of anisotropic amorphous ferromagnetic films, revealed by the excellent agreement between numerical calculation and experimental results.

Sublattice imbalance of substitutionally doped nitrogen in graphene

Abstract Motivated by the recently observed sublattice asymmetry of substitutional nitrogen impurities in CVD grown graphene, we show, in a mathematically transparent manner, that oscillations in the local density of states driven by the presence of substitutional impurities are responsible for breaking the sublattice symmetry. While these oscillations are normally averaged out in the case of randomly dispersed impurities, in graphene they have either the same, or very nearly the same, periodicity as the lattice. As a result, the total interaction energy of randomly distributed impurities embedded in the conduction-electron-filled medium does not vanish and is lowered when their configuration is sublattice-asymmetric. We also identify the presence of a critical concentration of nitrogen above which one should expect the sublattice asymmetry to disappear. This feature is not particular to nitrogen dopants, but should be present in other impurities.

Controlling resonant tunneling in graphene via Fermi velocity engineering

We investigate the resonant tunneling in a single layer graphene superlattice with modulated energy gap and Fermi velocity via an effective Dirac-like Hamiltonian. We calculate the transmission coefficient with the transfer matrix method and analyze the effect of a Fermi velocity modulation on the electronic transmission, in the case of normal and oblique incidence. We find it is possible to manipulate the electronic transmission in graphene by Fermi velocity engineering, and show that it is possible to tune the transmitivity from 0 to 1. We also analyze how a Fermi velocity modulation influences the total conductance and the Fano factor. Our results are relevant for the development of novel graphene-based electronic devices.

Static and dynamic properties of Fibonacci multilayers

We theoretically investigate static and dynamic properties of quasiperiodic magnetic multilayers. We considered identical ferromagnetic layers separated by non-magnetic spacers with two different thicknesses chosen based on the Fibonacci sequence. Using parameters for Fe/Cr, the minimum energy was determined and the equilibrium magnetization directions found were used to calculate magnetoresistance curves. Regarding dynamic behavior, ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) curves were calculated using an approximation known from the literature. Our numerical results illustrate the effects of quasiperiodicity on the static and dynamic properties of these structures.

Light propagation in quasiperiodic dielectric multilayers separated by graphene

The study of photonic crystals, artificial materials whose dielectric properties can be tailored according to the stacking of its constituents, remains an attractive research area. In this article we have employed a transfer matrix treatment to study the propagation of light waves in Fibonacci quasiperiodic dieletric multilayers with graphene embedded. We calculated their dispersion and transmission spectra in order to investigate the effects of the graphene monolayers and quasiperiodic disorder on the system physical behavior. The quasiperiodic dieletric multilayer is composed of two building blocks, silicon dioxide (building block A = SiO2) and titanium dioxide (building block B = TiO2). Our numerical results show that the presence of graphene monolayers reduces the transmissivity on the whole range of frequency and induces a transmission gap in the low frequency region. Regarding the polarization of the light wave, we found that the transmission coefficient is higher for the transverse magnetic (TM) case than for the transverse electric (TE) one. We also conclude from our numerical results that the graphene induced photonic bandgaps (GIPBGs) do not depend on the polarization (TE or TM) of the light wave nor on the Fibonacci generation index n. Moreover, the GIPBGs are omnidirectional photonic band gaps, therefore light cannot propagate in this structures for frequencies lower than a certain value, whatever the incidence angle. Finally, a plot of the transmission spectra versus chemical potential shows that one can, in principle, adjust the width of the photonic band gap by tuning the chemical potential via a gate voltage.

BxCyNz hybrid graphenylene: stability and electronic properties

Interest in hybrid monolayers with arrangements that differ from that of the honeycomb lattice has been growing. However, systematic investigations on the properties of these structures are still lacking. In this work, we combined density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the stability and electronic properties of nanosheets composed of B, C, and N atoms arranged in the pattern of the carbon allotrope graphenylene. We considered twenty structures with varied atomic arrangements and stoichiometries, which we call BxCyNz hybrid graphenylenes. We calculated the formation energy for each arrangement, and found that it decreases as the number of B–C and N–C bonds decreases. We also found that the structure with minimum energy has stoichiometry B2CN and an atomic arrangement with BN and C stripes connected along the zigzag direction. Regarding the electronic properties, we found that all investigated structures are semiconductors, with band gaps ranging from 0.14 to 1.65 eV. Finally, we found that the optimized hybrid lattices presented pores of varied sizes and shapes. This diversity in pore geometry suggests that these structures might be particularly suited for molecular sieve applications.

Tuning the Fano factor of graphene via Fermi velocity modulation

Abstract In this work we investigate the influence of a Fermi velocity modulation on the Fano factor of periodic and quasi-periodic graphene superlattices. We consider the continuum model and use the transfer matrix method to solve the Dirac-like equation for graphene where the electrostatic potential, energy gap and Fermi velocity are piecewise constant functions of the position x . We found that in the presence of an energy gap, it is possible to tune the energy of the Fano factor peak and consequently the location of the Dirac point, by a modulation in the Fermi velocity. Hence, the peak of the Fano factor can be used experimentally to identify the Dirac point. We show that for higher values of the Fermi velocity the Fano factor goes below 1/3 at the Dirac point. Furthermore, we show that in periodic superlattices the location of Fano factor peaks is symmetric when the Fermi velocity v A and v B is exchanged, however by introducing quasi-periodicity the symmetry is lost. The Fano factor usually holds a universal value for a specific transport regime, which reveals that the possibility of controlling it in graphene is a notable result.