Transport properties of zigzag graphene nanoribbons adsorbed with single iron atom

We have performed density-functional calculations of the transport properties of the zigzag graphene nanoribbon (ZGNR) adsorbed with a single iron atom. Two adsorption configurations are considered, i.e., iron adsorbed on the edge and on the interior of the nanoribbon. The results show that the transport features of the two configurations are similar. However, the transport properties are modified due to the scattering effects induced by coupling of the ZGNR band states to the localized 3d-orbital state of the iron atom. More importantly, one can find that several dips appear in the transmission curve, which is closely related to the above mentioned coupling. We expect that our results will have potential applications in graphene-based spintronic devices.