After the first unequivocal demonstration of spin transport in graphene
(Tombros et al., 2007), surprisingly at room temperature, it was quickly
realized that this novel material was relevant for both fundamental spintronics
and future applications. Over the decade since, exciting results have made the
field of graphene spintronics blossom, and a second generation of studies has
extended to new two-dimensional (2D) compounds. This Colloquium reviews recent
theoretical and experimental advances on electronic spin transport in graphene
and related 2D materials, focusing on emergent phenomena in van der Waals
heterostructures and the new perspectives provided by them. These phenomena
include proximity-enabled spin-orbit effects, the coupling of electronic spin
to light, electrical tunability, and 2D magnetism.Comment: 30 pages, 12 figure