  Spintronics has become a broad and important research field that intersects
with magnetism, nano-electronics, and materials science. Its overarching aim is
to provide a fundamental understanding of spin-dependent phenomena in
solid-state systems that can enable a new generation of spin-based logic
devices. Over the past decade, graphene and related 2D van der Waals crystals
have taken center stage in expanding the scope and potential of spintronic
materials. Their distinctive electronic properties and atomically thin nature
have opened new opportunities to probe and manipulate internal electronic
degrees of freedom. Purely electrical control over conduction-electron spins
can be attained in graphene-transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructures,
due to proximity effects combined with graphene's high electronic mobility.
Specifically, graphene experiences a proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling that
enables efficient spin-charge interconversion processes; the two most
well-known and at the forefront of current research are the spin Hall and
inverse spin galvanic effects, wherein an electrical current yields a spin
current and non-equilibrium spin polarization, respectively. This article
provides an overview of the basic principles, theory, and experimental methods
underpinning the nascent field of 2D material-based spintronics.
