Diameter-dependent spin polarization of injected carriers in carbon-doped zigzag boron nitride nanotubes

The diameter-dependent spin polarization of zigzag (n, 0) boron nitride nanotubes (5 ≤ n ≤ 10) with two carbon atoms substituting one boron atom and one nitrogen atom was investigated using first principles calculations. The spin polarization of the injected carriers is found in the tubes with larger diameters (n ≥ 7) and in a hexagonal boron nitride layer, but not in those with smaller diameters, attributable to the destruction of the π electronic structure rigidity. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.