18 research outputs found
One-dimensional Si chains embedded in Pt(111)and protected by a hexagonal boron-nitride monolayer
Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we show that Si deposition on Pt(111) at
300K leads to a network of one-dimensional Si chains. On the bare Pt(111)
surface, the chains, embedded into the Pt surface, are orientated along the
-direction. They disappear within a few hours in ultrahigh vacuum due to
the presence of residual gas. Exposing the chains to different gases
deliberately reveals that CO is largely responsible for the disappearance of
the chains. The chains can be stabilized by a monolayer of hexagonal boron
nitride, which is deposited prior to the Si deposition. The resulting Si chains
are rotated by 30{\deg} with respect to the chains on the bare Pt(111) surface
and survive even an exposure to air for 10 minutes.Comment: 8 pages, 4 Figure
Electrostatically confined monolayer graphene quantum dots with orbital and valley splittings
The electrostatic confinement of massless charge carriers is hampered by
Klein tunneling. Circumventing this problem in graphene mainly relies on
carving out nanostructures or applying electric displacement fields to open a
band gap in bilayer graphene. So far, these approaches suffer from edge
disorder or insufficiently controlled localization of electrons. Here we
realize an alternative strategy in monolayer graphene, by combining a
homogeneous magnetic field and electrostatic confinement. Using the tip of a
scanning tunneling microscope, we induce a confining potential in the Landau
gaps of bulk graphene without the need for physical edges. Gating the localized
states towards the Fermi energy leads to regular charging sequences with more
than 40 Coulomb peaks exhibiting typical addition energies of 7-20 meV. Orbital
splittings of 4-10 meV and a valley splitting of about 3 meV for the first
orbital state can be deduced. These experimental observations are
quantitatively reproduced by tight binding calculations, which include the
interactions of the graphene with the aligned hexagonal boron nitride
substrate. The demonstrated confinement approach appears suitable to create
quantum dots with well-defined wave function properties beyond the reach of
traditional techniques
Tuning the pseudospin polarization of graphene by a pseudo-magnetic field
One of the intriguing characteristics of honeycomb lattices is the appearance
of a pseudo-magnetic field as a result of mechanical deformation. In the case
of graphene, the Landau quantization resulting from this pseudo-magnetic field
has been measured using scanning tunneling microscopy. Here we show that a
signature of the pseudo-magnetic field is a local sublattice symmetry breaking
observable as a redistribution of the local density of states. This can be
interpreted as a polarization of graphene's pseudospin due to a strain induced
pseudo-magnetic field, in analogy to the alignment of a real spin in a magnetic
field. We reveal this sublattice symmetry breaking by tunably straining
graphene using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. The tip locally
lifts the graphene membrane from a SiO support, as visible by an increased
slope of the curves. The amount of lifting is consistent with molecular
dynamics calculations, which reveal a deformed graphene area under the tip in
the shape of a Gaussian. The pseudo-magnetic field induced by the deformation
becomes visible as a sublattice symmetry breaking which scales with the lifting
height of the strained deformation and therefore with the pseudo-magnetic field
strength. Its magnitude is quantitatively reproduced by analytic and
tight-binding models, revealing fields of 1000 T. These results might be the
starting point for an effective THz valley filter, as a basic element of
valleytronics.Comment: Revised manuscript: streamlined the abstract and introduction, added
methods to supplement, Nano Letters, 201
Sonochemical edge functionalisation of molybdenum disulfide
Liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) has been shown to be capable of producing large quantities of high-quality dispersions suitable for processing into subsequent applications. LPE typically requires surfactants for aqueous dispersions or organic solvents with high boiling point. However, they have major drawbacks such as toxicity, aggregation during solvent evaporation or the presence of residues. Here, dispersions of molybdenum disulfide in acetone are prepared and show much higher concentration and stability than predicted by Hansen parameter analysis. Aiming to understand those enhanced properties, the nanosheets were characterised using UV-visible spectroscopy, zeta potential measurements, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning transmission microscopy combined with spatially-resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy. Also, the performance of the MoS2 nanosheets exfoliated in acetone was compared to those exfoliated in isopropanol as a catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction. The conclusion from the chemical characterisation was that MoS2 nanosheets exfoliated in acetone have an oxygen edge-functionalisation, in the form of molybdenum oxides, changing its interaction with solvents and explaining the observed high-quality and stability of the resulting dispersion in a low boiling point solvent. Exfoliation in acetone could potentially be applied as a pretreatment to modify the solubility of MoS2 by edge-functionalisation
The composition and structure of the ubiquitous hydrocarbon contamination on van der Waals materials
Raw data for the figures presented in the main text of our paper entitled: "The composition and structure of the ubiquitous hydrocarbon contamination on van der Waals materials"
Paper is available from: https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.01057</p