Spin transport properties and nanodevice simulations of NiI2 monolayer

Two-dimensitional (2D) magnetic semiconducting materials attract extensive interest in recent years. A new type of magnetic semiconducting nickel-based transition metal diiodide-NiI2 monolayer (NiI2-ML) was successfully prepared in recent experiments. Some nanodevices based on the NiI2-ML are designed and their spin-resolved transport and photoelectric properties are studied. Strong rectification and spin filtering effects are observed in the NiI2-ML pn-junction. The NiI2-ML pin-junction shows a field-effect property. Moreover, it is found that NiI2-ML has a strong response to green light that promotes its phototransistor to generate exploitable photocurrent. The results of this paper show that NiI2-ML is a multifunctional magnetic semiconducting material with potential applications in the fields of spintronic and optoelectronic devices.