Flat Electronic Bands in Long Sequences of Rhombohedral-stacked Multilayer Graphene

The crystallographic stacking order in multilayer graphene plays an important role in determining its electronic properties. It has been predicted that a rhombohedral (ABC) stacking displays a conducting surface state with flat electronic dispersion. In such a flat band, the role of electron-electron correlation is enhanced possibly resulting in high Tc superconductivity, charge density wave or magnetic orders. Clean experimental band structure measurements of ABC stacked specimens are missing because the samples are usually too small in size. Here, we directly image the band structure of large multilayer graphene flake containing approximately 14 consecutive ABC layers. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments reveal the flat electronic bands near the K point extends by 0.13 {\AA}-1 at the Fermi level at liquid nitrogen temperature. First-principle calculations identify the electronic ground state as an antiferromagnetic state with a band gap of about 40 meV

Capteurs de gaz à base de graphène : Fabrication, caractérisation, et étude du mécanisme de détection des molécules de gaz

Ce travail nous a permis de réaliser une étude de capteurs de gaz et d’humidité à base de graphène. Cette étude pourrait être utile non seulement pour améliorer les performances des capteurs à base de graphène mais aussi pour mieux comprendre l’interaction entre le graphène et les molécules de gaz. Ceci semble indispensable pour faire avancer les applications du graphène comme un matériau prometteur pour la détection des gaz. Des avancées significatives ont été présentées au niveau de la fabrication de ces capteurs, leurs différentes caractérisations électriques ainsi que d’autres techniques employées pour analyser le mécanisme contrôlant la détection des molécules de gaz/vapeur. Ces outils ont été mis en place pour concevoir et fabriquer plusieurs structures de capteur en utilisant différents substrats support du graphène d’une part et en modifiant les propriétés du graphène par utilisation des produits chimiques d’autres part. La caractérisation de ces capteurs sous différents environnements a permis de comparer les différentes réponses des capteurs et d’en tirer plusieurs conclusions sur le fonctionnement de ces dispositifs. En effet, le Mica, un substrat lisse et transparent, a été utilisé comme substrat pour le graphène. Le dopage induit par le mica a été étudié ainsi que son impact sur la sensibilité du graphène au gaz d’ammoniac. Ceci a permis de mettre en évidence le fait que le substrat joue un rôle important pour la détection de l’ammoniac. De plus, ces capteurs fabriques sur mica et SiO2 ont été testés sous différentes conditions de températures et d’oxygène. Dans une autre approche, un polymère a été utilisé pour doper le graphène. Une étude détaillée a été menée pour analyser le comportement de ce graphène fonctionnalisé par rapport aux molécules d’eau. Ces nouveaux résultats expérimentaux obtenus pendant cette thèse constituent un bon support à plusieurs résultats théoriques établis et permettent d’optimiser la conception des capteurs de gaz à base de graphène pour des meilleures performances.In this research, we report on a study of graphene based gas and humidity sensors. This study could be useful not only to improve the performance of graphene based sensors but also to better understand the interaction between graphene and gas molecules. This seems necessary to promote the applications of graphene as a promising material for gas sensing. Significant advances have been made to design and fabricate these sensors: the different electrical characterizations as well as other techniques used to analyze the mechanism controlling the detection of gas/vapor molecules. These tools have been set up to design and manufacture various sensor structures using different underlying substrates for graphene on one hand and chemical modification of graphene properties on the other hand. The characterization of these sensors under different environments was used to compare the different responses of the sensors and draw several conclusions about gas sensing mechanism. Indeed, Mica, a smooth and transparent substrate, was used as a supporting substrate for graphene. Doping induced to graphene by mica and its impact on graphene sensitivity to ammonia gas were studied. This has made it possible to highlight the fact that the substrate plays an important role for the detection of ammonia. In addition, these sensors made on mica and SiO2 were tested under a variety of temperatures and oxygen. In another approach, a polymer was used to dope graphene. A detailed study was realized about the behavior of water molecules on functionalized graphene. The obtained experimental results, reported for the first time, represent a good support for several theoretical studies already made and could be used to optimize the design of graphene based gas sensors

Graphene/mica based ammonia gas sensors

In this paper, graphene/mica and graphene/SiO2 based ammonia gas sensors are compared. It is found that adsorbed NH3 molecules result in up-shifting of the Fermi level in graphene, leading to a significant increase in graphene resistance. In comparison with SiO2 supporting substrate, the mica supporting substrate is found to induce more p-doping in graphene, in favour of NH3 molecule adsorption, yielding a high sensitivity. These findings suggest that the substrate plays an important role in mediating the interaction between graphene and NH3 molecules and that mica can be an excellent underlying substrate for graphene for ammonia gas detection.Published versio

Graphene/mica based ammonia gas sensors

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Enhancement of humidity sensitivity of graphene through functionalization with polyethylenimine

International audienceIn this work, we show that the sensing performance of graphene based humidity sensors can be largely improved through polymer functionalization. Chemical vapor deposited graphene is functionalized with amine rich polymer, leading to electron transfer from amine groups in the polymer to graphene. The functionalized graphene humidity sensor has demonstrated good sensitivity, recovery, and repeatability. Charge transfer between the functionalized graphene and water molecules and the sensing mechanism are studied systemically using field effect transistor geometry and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy

Stacking fault and defects in single domain multilayered hexagonal boron nitride

Two dimensional materials like graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides, and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) have attracted a keen interest over the past few years due to their possible integration in the next generation of nano-components. Here, we used high resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) to perform a complete study of stacking configuration and identify sp3 crystal deformations of a single domain h-BN crystal. The AA′ stacking was found to best reproduce features in the experimental B and N K-edges. The NEXAFS also shows that the splitting of the 1s to π* peak in the B K-edge, recently predicted by density functional theory, may be accounted for by the presence of AB′ stacking faults. The presence of this stacking fault has, as a result, the introduction of point defects in the crystal such as boron atoms in a pyramidal or sp3 configuration. Interstitial nitrogen defects are also present in the crystal forming a N-N pair as expected for a p-type h-BN crystal

van der Waals Epitaxy of GaSe/Graphene Heterostructure: Electronic and Interfacial Properties

International audienceStacking two-dimensional materials in so-called van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, like the combination of GaSe and graphene, provides the ability to obtain hybrid systems that are suitable to design optoelectronic devices. Here, we report the structural and electronic properties of the direct growth of multilayered GaSe by molecular beam epitaxy on graphene. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction images exhibited sharp streaky features indicative of a high-quality GaSe layer produced via a vdW epitaxy. Micro-Raman spectroscopy showed that, after the vdW heterointerface formation, the Raman signature of pristine graphene is preserved. However, the GaSe film tuned the charge density of graphene layer by shifting the Dirac point by about 80 meV toward lower binding energies, attesting to an electron transfer from graphene to GaSe. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements showed that the maximum of the valence band of the few layers of GaSe are located at the Γ point at a binding energy of about −0.73 eV relative to the Fermi level (p-type doping). From the ARPES measurements, a hole effective mass defined along the ΓM direction and equal to about m*/m0 = −1.1 was determined. By coupling the ARPES data with high-resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements, the Schottky interface barrier height was estimated to be 1.2 eV. These findings allow a deeper understanding of the interlayer interactions and the electronic structure of the GaSe/graphene vdW heterostructure

Contribution of HLA class I (A, B, C) and HLA class II (DRB1, DQA1, DQB1) alleles and haplotypes in exploring ethnic origin of central Tunisians

Abstract Background Estimation of HLA (Human leukocyte Antigen) alleles’ frequencies in populations is essential to explore their ethnic origin. Anthropologic studies of central Tunisian population were rarely reported. Then, in this work, we aimed to explore the origin of central Tunisian population using HLA alleles and haplotypes frequencies. Methods HLA class I (A, B, C) and HLA class II (DRB1, DQA1, DQB1) loci genotyping of 272 healthy unrelated organ donors was performed by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Sequence Specific Oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO). We compared central Tunisians with other populations (Arabs, Berbers, Mediterraneans, Europeans, Africans, etc.) using alleles and haplotypes frequencies, genetic distances, Neighbour-Joining dendrogram and correspondence analysis. Results Among the 19 HLA A alleles, the 26 HLA B alleles, the 13 HLA C alleles, the 15 HLA DRB1 alleles, the 6 HLA DQA1 alleles and the 5 HLA DQB1 alleles identified in the studied population, HLA A*02 (22.8%), HLA B*50 (13.1%), HLA C*06 (21.8%), HLA DRB1*07 (17.8%), HLA DQA1*01 (32.1%) and HLA DQB1*03 (31.6%) were the most frequent alleles. The extended haplotypes HLA A*02-B*50-C*06-DRB1*07-DQA1*02-DQB1*02 (1.97%) was the most frequent HLA six-loci haplotype. Conclusion Central Tunisians were very close to other Tunisian populations, to Iberians and North Africans. They were rather distant from sub-Saharan populations and eastern Mediterraneans especially Arabs although the strong cultural and religious impact of Arabs in this population