Chemistry and Magnetism Meet at the Zigzag Edges of Graphene

Although the unconventional π-magnetism at the zigzag edges of graphene holds promise for a wide array of applications, whether and to what degree it plays a role in their chemistry remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the addition of a hydrogen atom - the simplest yet the most experimentally relevant adsorbate - to zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs). We show that the π-magnetism governs the chemistry of ZGNRs, giving rise to a site-dependent reactivity of the carbon atoms and driving the hydrogenation process to the nanoribbon edges. Conversely, the chemisorbed hydrogen atom governs the π-magnetism of ZGNRs, acting as a spin-1/2 paramagnetic center in the otherwise antiferromagnetic ground state and spin-polarizing the charge carriers at the band extrema. Our findings establish a comprehensive picture of the peculiar interplay between chemistry and magnetism that emerges at the zigzag edges of graphene.