Researchers from the University of Groningen developed a device made by 2D sheets of graphene and Boron-Nitride that showed unprecedented spin transport efficiency at room temperature.
The research, funded by the European Union's $1 billion Graphene Flagship, uses the single-layer graphene as the core material. The researchers say that graphene is a great material for spin transport - but the spin in the graphene cannot be manipulated. To over come this In this device, the graphene is sandwiched between two layers of Boron Nitride and the whole structure rests on silicon.
Quantum tunneling is used to inject the spin through the top BN insulator layer (which is actually 3-layer thick as a single layer material proved too thin to shield the electrons in the graphene from outside influences). The researchers say that the spin polarization is very strong in this device - ten times what is usually observed in other devices.