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Nanoscale strain engineering of graphene and graphene-based devices

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Abstract

Structural distortions in nano-materials can induce dramatic changes in their electronic properties. This situation is well manifested in graphene, a two-dimensional honeycomb structure of carbon atoms with only one atomic layer thickness. In particular, strained graphene can result in both charging effects and pseudo-magnetic fields, so that controlled strain on a perfect graphene lattice can be tailored to yield desirable electronic properties. Here, we describe the theoretical foundation for strain-engineering of the electronic properties of graphene, and then provide experimental evidence for strain-induced pseudo-magnetic fields and charging effects in monolayer graphene. We further demonstrate the feasibility of nano-scale strain engineering for graphene-based devices by means of theoretical simulations and nano-fabrication technology.

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Acknowledgments

This project was jointly supported by the National Science Foundation under the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter at California Institute of Technology, a grant from the Northrup Grumman Cooperation, and a gift from Mr. Lewis van Amerongen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, and Kavli Nanoscience Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA

    N.-C. Yeh, C.-C. Hsu, M. L. Teague & C.-C. Chen

  2. Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    J.-Q. Wang

  3. Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA

    D. A. Boyd

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  1. N.-C. Yeh
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  2. C.-C. Hsu
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  3. M. L. Teague
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  4. J.-Q. Wang
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  5. D. A. Boyd
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  6. C.-C. Chen
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Correspondence to N.-C. Yeh.

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Yeh, NC., Hsu, CC., Teague, M.L. et al. Nanoscale strain engineering of graphene and graphene-based devices. Acta Mech. Sin. 32, 497–509 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-015-0548-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-015-0548-9

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