DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1309394110. Strain solitons and topological defects in bilayer graphene

Strain solitons and topological defects in bilayer graphene

10.1073/pnas.1309394110

Crossref journal-article

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (341)

Abstract

Bilayer graphene has been a subject of intense study in recent years. The interlayer registry between the layers can have dramatic effects on the electronic properties: for example, in the presence of a perpendicular electric field, a band gap appears in the electronic spectrum of so-called Bernal-stacked graphene [Oostinga JB, et al. (2007) Nature Materials 7:151–157]. This band gap is intimately tied to a structural spontaneous symmetry breaking in bilayer graphene, where one of the graphene layers shifts by an atomic spacing with respect to the other. This shift can happen in multiple directions, resulting in multiple stacking domains with soliton-like structural boundaries between them. Theorists have recently proposed that novel electronic states exist at these boundaries [Vaezi A, et al. (2013) arXiv:1301.1690; Zhang F, et al. (2013) arXiv:1301.4205], but very little is known about their structural properties. Here we use electron microscopy to measure with nanoscale and atomic resolution the widths, motion, and topological structure of soliton boundaries and related topological defects in bilayer graphene. We find that each soliton consists of an atomic-scale registry shift between the two graphene layers occurring over 6–11 nm. We infer the minimal energy barrier to interlayer translation and observe soliton motion during in situ heating above 1,000 °C. The abundance of these structures across a variety of samples, as well as their unusual properties, suggests that they will have substantial effects on the electronic and mechanical properties of bilayer graphene.

Bibliography

Alden, J. S., Tsen, A. W., Huang, P. Y., Hovden, R., Brown, L., Park, J., Muller, D. A., & McEuen, P. L. (2013). Strain solitons and topological defects in bilayer graphene. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(28), 11256â11260.

Authors 8

Jonathan S. Alden (first)
Adam W. Tsen (additional)
Pinshane Y. Huang (additional)
Robert Hovden (additional)
Lola Brown (additional)
Jiwoong Park (additional)
David A. Muller (additional)
Paul L. McEuen (additional)

References 31 Referenced 478

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GK Williamson, Electron microscope studies of dislocation structures in graphite. Proc R Soc Lond Ser A Math Phys Sci 257, 457–463 (1960). / Proc R Soc Lond Ser A Math Phys Sci / Electron microscope studies of dislocation structures in graphite by Williamson GK (1960)
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Zhang F MacDonald AH Mele EJ (2013) Valley Chern numbers and boundary modes in gapped bilayer graphene. arXiv:1301.4205. (10.1073/pnas.1308853110)
10.1038/nature08879

Dates

Type	When
Created	12 years, 1 month ago (June 25, 2013, 12:20 a.m.)
Deposited	3 years, 4 months ago (April 15, 2022, 7:50 p.m.)
Indexed	14 minutes ago (Aug. 23, 2025, 7:43 p.m.)
Issued	12 years, 1 month ago (June 24, 2013)
Published	12 years, 1 month ago (June 24, 2013)
Published Online	12 years, 1 month ago (June 24, 2013)
Published Print	12 years, 1 month ago (July 9, 2013)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Alden_2013, title={Strain solitons and topological defects in bilayer graphene}, volume={110}, ISSN={1091-6490}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1309394110}, DOI={10.1073/pnas.1309394110}, number={28}, journal={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, publisher={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, author={Alden, Jonathan S. and Tsen, Adam W. and Huang, Pinshane Y. and Hovden, Robert and Brown, Lola and Park, Jiwoong and Muller, David A. and McEuen, Paul L.}, year={2013}, month=jun, pages={11256–11260} }

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