Transition from insulator to metal induced by hybridized connection of graphene and boron nitride nanoribbons

A hybridized structure constructed by zigzag boron nitride nanoribbon and zigzag graphene nanoribbon is proposed, and their band structures and electronic transport properties are calculated by applying first-principles calculations. The results show that the band gap of the hybridized structure can be tuned and transitions from insulator to metal can be realized by changing the unit number of zigzag graphene nanoribbon. The currents with different spin polarization display different behavior. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3515921]