Magnetic-Phase Dependence of the Spin Carrier Mean Free Path in Graphene Nanoribbons.

We show theoretically that the intrinsic (phonon-limited) carrier mobility in graphene nanoribbons is considerably influenced by the presence of spin-polarized edge states. When the coupling between opposite edges switches from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic with increasing carrier density, the current becomes spin polarized and the mean free path rises from 10 nm to micrometers. In the ferromagnetic state, the current flows through one majority-spin channel which is ballistic over micrometers and several minority-spin channels with mean free paths as low as 1 nm. These features predicted in technology-relevant conditions could be nicely exploited in spintronic devices.