Spin-dependent Seebeck effect and huge growth of thermoelectric parameters at band edges in H- and F-doped graphene, free-standing and deposited on 4H-SiC(0001) C-face

Graphene halfiy doped with H or F possesses local magnetization at the undoped C sites. Thus the Seebeck coefficient is different for each spin channel and its sign also changes depending on the spin polarization. Deposition of doped graphene on the C-face 4H-SiC(0001) with two buffer layers substantially varies the electronic and thermoelectric properties. These properties are efficiently calculated from the semiclassical Boltzmann equations, using the maximally-localized Wannier-functions interpolation of the band structures obtained with the density-functional theory. Our results indicate large growth of the thermopower and the ZT efficiency at the band edges. We show in the model discussion that this phenomenon is more general and applies also to other systems than graphene. It gives prospect for developing new spintronic devices working in the band-edge regime. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.