Tailoring the local interaction between graphene layers in graphite at the atomic scale and above using scanning tunneling microscopy.

With recent developments in carbon-based electronics, it is imperative to understand the interplay between the morphology and electronic structure in graphene and graphite. We demonstrate controlled and repeatable vertical displacement of the top graphene layer from the substrate mediated by the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) tip-sample interaction, manifested at the atomic level as well as over superlattices spanning several tens of nanometers. Besides the full-displacement, we observed the first half-displacement of the surface graphene layer, confirming that a reduced coupling rather than a change in lateral layer stacking is responsible for the triangular/honeycomb atomic lattice transition phenomenon, clearing the controversy surrounding it. Furthermore, an atomic scale mechanical stress at a grain boundary in graphite, resulting in the localization of states near the Fermi energy, is revealed through voltage-dependent imaging. A method of producing graphene nanoribbons based on the manipulation capabilities of the STM is also implemented.

Development of a universal stress sensor for graphene and carbon fibres

Carbon fibres are a significant volume fraction of modern structural airframes. Embedded into polymer matrices, they provide significant strength and stiffness gains by unit weight compared with competing structural materials. Here we use the Raman G peak to assess the response of carbon fibres to the application of strain, with reference to the response of graphene itself. Our data highlight the predominance of the in-plane graphene properties in all graphitic structures examined. A universal master plot relating the G peak strain sensitivity to tensile modulus of all types of carbon fibres, as well as graphene, is presented. We derive a universal value of - average - phonon shift rate with axial stress of around -5ω0 -1 (cm -1 Mpa-1), where ω0 is the G peak position at zero stress for both graphene and carbon fibre with annular morphology. The use of this for stress measurements in a variety of applications is discussed. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Strong plasmonic enhancement of photovoltage in graphene

From the wide spectrum of potential applications of graphene, ranging from transistors and chemical sensors to nanoelectromechanical devices and composites, the field of photonics and optoelectronics is believed to be one of the most promising. Indeed, graphene's suitability for high-speed photodetection was demonstrated in an optical communication link operating at 10 Gbit s 1. However, the low responsivity of graphene-based photodetectors compared with traditional III-V-based ones is a potential drawback. Here we show that, by combining graphene with plasmonic nanostructures, the efficiency of graphene-based photodetectors can be increased by up to 20 times, because of efficient field concentration in the area of a p-n junction. Additionally, wavelength and polarization selectivity can be achieved by employing nanostructures of different geometries. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.