Abstract
Graphene is of great scientific interest due to a variety of unique properties such as ballistic transport, spin selectivity, the quantum hall effect, and other quantum properties. Nanopatterning and atomic scale modifications of graphene are expected to enable further control over its intrinsic properties, providing ways to tune the electronic properties through geometric and strain effects, introduce edge states and other local or extended topological defects, and sculpt circuit paths. The focused beam of a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) can be used to remove atoms, enabling milling, doping, and deposition. Utilization of a STEM as an atomic scale fabrication platform is increasing; however, a detailed understanding of beam-induced processes and the subsequent cascade of aftereffects is lacking. Here, we examine the electron beam effects on atomically clean graphene at a variety of temperatures ranging from 400 to 1000 °C. We find that temperature plays a significant role in the milling rate and moderates competing processes of carbon adatom coalescence, graphene healing, and the diffusion (and recombination) of defects. The results of this work can be applied to a wider range of 2D materials and introduce better understanding of defect evolution in graphite and other bulk layered materials.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 212-221 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Carbon |
| Volume | 201 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 5 2023 |
Funding
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (O.D., S.Y., M.Y., A.R.L, S.J.) and was performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) , a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility. This research used resources of the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center , a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (O.D. S.Y. M.Y. A.R.L, S.J.) and was performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility. This research used resources of the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility.