Bottom Graphene Layers Research Articles

Programmable hydrogenation of graphene for novel nanocages.

Folded graphene has exhibited novel electrical and mechanical properties unmatched by pristine graphene, which implies that morphology of graphene adds the dimensionality of design space to tailor its properties. However, how to overcome the energy barrier of the folding process to fold the graphene with the specific morphology remains unexplored. Here we propose a programmable chemical functionalization by doping a pristine graphene sheet in a certain pattern with hydrogen atoms to precisely control its folding morphology. Molecular dynamics simulation has been performed to create a cross-shaped cubic graphene nanocage encapsulating a biomolecule by warping the top graphene layer downward and the bottom graphene layer upward to mimic the drug delivery vehicle. Such a paradigm, programmable enabled graphene nanocage, opens up a new avenue to control the 3D architecture of folded graphene and therefore provides a feasible way to exploit and fabricate the graphene-based unconventional nanomaterials and nanodevices for drug delivery.

Weak localization and universal conductance fluctuations in multi-layer graphene

We have performed magneto transport measurements on a multi-layer graphene device fabricated by conventional mechanical exfoliation. Suppression of weak localization (WL) as evidenced by the negative magnetoresistance (NMR) centered at zero field, and reproducible universal conductance fluctuations (UCFs) are observed. Interestingly, it is found that the phase coherence lengths calculated by fitting the observed NMR to conventional WL theory are longer than those determined from fitting the amplitudes of the UCFs to theory in the low temperature regime (T ≤ 8 K). In the high temperature regime (T > 8 K), the phase coherence lengths calculated by fitting the observed NMR to conventional WL theory are shorter than those determined from fitting the amplitudes of the UCFs to theory. Our new results therefore indicate a difference in the electron phase-breaking process between the two models of WL and UCFs in graphene. We speculate that the presence of the capping and bottom graphene layers, which leads the enhancement of disorder in-between, improves the localization condition for WL effect during carrier transportation in the low temperature regime. With increasing temperature, the localization condition for WL in multi-layer graphene becomes much weaker due to strong thermal damping. Therefore, the phase coherence lengths calculated by fitting the observed NMR to conventional WL theory are shorter than those determined from fitting the amplitudes of the UCFs to theory at high temperatures.

Observation of Low Energy Raman Modes in Twisted Bilayer Graphene

Two new Raman modes below 100 cm(-1) are observed in twisted bilayer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition. The two modes are observed in a small range of twisting angle at which the intensity of the G Raman peak is strongly enhanced, indicating that these low energy modes and the G Raman mode share the same resonance enhancement mechanism, as a function of twisting angle. The ~94 cm(-1) mode (measured with a 532 nm laser excitation) is assigned to the fundamental layer breathing vibration (ZO' mode) mediated by the twisted bilayer graphene lattice, which lacks long-range translational symmetry. The dependence of this mode's frequency and line width on the rotational angle can be explained by the double resonance Raman process that is different from the previously identified Raman processes activated by twisted bilayer graphene superlattice. The dependence also reveals the strong impact of electronic-band overlaps of the two graphene layers. Another new mode at ~52 cm(-1), not observed previously in the bilayer graphene system, is tentatively attributed to a torsion mode in which the bottom and top graphene layers rotate out-of-phase in the plane.

Resonant and nondissipative tunneling in independently contacted graphene structures

The tunneling current between independently contacted graphene sheets separated by boron nitride insulator is calculated. Both dissipative tunneling transitions, with momentum transfer due to disorder scattering, and non-dissipative regime of tunneling, which appears due to intersection of electron and hole branches of energy spectrum, are described. Dependencies of tunneling current on concentrations in top and bottom graphene layers, which are governed by the voltages applied through independent contacts and gates, are considered for the back- and double-gated structures. The current-voltage characteristics of the back-gated structure are in agreement with the recent experiment [Science 335, 947 (2012)]. For the double-gated structures, the resonant dissipative tunneling causes a ten times enhancement of response which is important for transistor applications.

Effects of Heat Treatment on Raman Spectra of Two‐Layer 12C/13C Graphene

The Raman spectra of two-layered graphene on a silicon substrate were studied in the temperature range from 298 to 1073 K in an inert atmosphere. Isotopic engineering was used to fabricate two-layer graphene specimens containing (13)C atoms in the top layer and (12)C atoms in the bottom layer, which allowed the behavior of each particular layer to be distinguished as a function of temperature. It is demonstrated that the top layer exhibits much lower Raman temperature coefficients than the bottom one for both the G and the G' modes. We suggest that the changes in the Raman spectra of graphene observed during thermal cycling are predominantly caused by a superposition of two effects, namely, the mechanical stress in graphene exerted by the substrate and the intrinsic changes in the graphene lattice caused by the temperature itself. The top graphene layer is proposed to be more relaxed than the bottom graphene layer and thus reflects almost exclusively the temperature variations as a freestanding graphene layer would.

Bias voltage inducedn- top-type transition in epitaxial bilayer graphene on SiC

We show by extensive first-principles calculations that an $n$- to $p$-type transition in epitaxial bilayer graphene can be induced by applying bias voltage on C-terminated SiC substrate, but cannot occur on Si-terminated SiC. Bias voltage can cause enough charge transfer between top and bottom graphene layers on C-terminated SiC to shift the Dirac level below or above the Fermi level. On both C- and Si-terminated SiC, change in interlayer spacing of the epitaxial bilayer graphene produces charge redistribution that leads to large increase in the energy gap, but cannot raise the Dirac level efficiently. The surface terminated condition or properties of substrate are of essential importance in possible gate tuning electronic behavior of epitaxial graphene on it.