Half-metallic properties of atomic chains of carbon-transition-metal compounds

We found that magnetic ground state of one-dimensional atomic chains of carbon-transition-metal compounds exhibit half-metallic properties. They are semiconductors for one spin direction, but show metallic properties for the opposite direction. The spins are fully polarized at the Fermi level and net magnetic moment per unit cell is an integer multiple of Bohr magneton. The spin-dependent electronic structure can be engineered by changing the number of carbon atoms and type of transition metal atoms. These chains, which are stable even at high temperatures and some of which keep their spin-dependent electronic properties even under moderate axial strain, hold the promise of potential applications in nanospintronics.