Output details
13 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials
University of Surrey
Low-Energy Termination of Graphene Edges via the Formation of Narrow Nanotubes
The atomic structure of graphene and graphene edges is a subject of great contemporary interest. Edge structure can define the chemical and electronic properties of graphene ribbons, yet there is no consensus about the most stable free edge structure.It is shown that free graphene sheet edges can curl back on themselves, reconstructing as nanotubes with lower formation energies than any other reported nonfunctionalized edge structure. The critical tube size and formation barrier are compared with density functional simulations of other edge terminations. Simulated HREM images show why such rolled edges may be difficult to detect. Rolled zigzag edges serve as metallic conduction channels.
