Anchoring transition metal elements on graphene-like ZnO monolayer by CO molecule to obtain spin gapless semiconductor

Highlights: • Graphene-like ZnO monolayer (g-ZnO) possesses high surface-to-volume ratio. • CO molecule is able to anchor the TM atom on g-ZnO. • CO-Mn-g-ZnO is predicted to be a spin gapless semiconductor. - Abstract: Graphene-like zinc oxide monolayer (g-ZnO) is a newfound two-dimensional material. Here we utilize the transition metal (TM) elements (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu) to functionalize the g-ZnO with the aim of designing novel spintronics materials by using first-principles calculations. Our results show that although the adsorption of TM atoms can endow g-ZnO with magnetization and impurity states in the bandgap, the interaction between TM elements and g-ZnO is weak. We found that the attachment of CO molecule on TM is able to stabilize the TM elements on g-ZnO based on the 'donation and back-donation' mechanism. As a result, the adsorption energy of the CO-TM complex on g-ZnO is as high as 1.41–2.11 eV. Furthermore, the incorporation of CO molecule modulates the magnetic and electronic properties of the TM-decorated g-ZnO. In particular, the CO-Mn-g-ZnO is predicted to be a spin gapless semiconductor.