Electronics and Magnetism of Patterned Graphene Nanoroads

Individual ribbons of graphene show orientation-dependent electronic properties of great interest, yet to ensure their perfect geometry and integrity or to assemble free ribbons into a device remains a daunting task. Here we explore, using density functional theory, an alternative possibility of "nanoroads" of pristine graphene being carved in the electrically insulating matrix of fully hydrogenated carbon sheet (graphane). Such one-dimensional entities show individual characteristics and, depending upon zigzag (and their magnetic state) or armchair orientation, can be metallic or semiconducting. Furthermore, the wide enough zigzag roads become magnetic with energetically similar ferro- and antiferromagnetic states. Designing magnetic, metallic, and semiconducting elements within the same mechanically intact sheet of graphene presents a new opportunity for applications.