Erika Widenkvist

Conductivity engineering of graphene by defect formation

Transport measurements have revealed several exotic electronic properties of graphene. The possibility to influence the electronic structure and hence control the conductivity by adsorption or doping with adatoms is crucial in view of electronics applications. Here, we show that in contrast to expectation, the conductivity of graphene increases with increasing concentration of vacancy defects, by more than one order of magnitude. We obtain a pronounced enhancement of the conductivity after insertion of defects by both quantum mechanical transport calculations as well as experimental studies of carbon nano-sheets. Our finding is attributed to the defect induced mid-gap states, which create a region exhibiting metallic behaviour around the vacancy defects. The modification of the conductivity of graphene by the implementation of stable defects is crucial for the creation of electronic junctions in graphene-based electronics devices.

Mild sonochemical exfoliation of bromine-intercalated graphite: a new route towards graphene

A method to produce suspensions of graphene sheets by combining solution-based bromine intercalation and mild sonochemical exfoliation is presented. Ultrasonic treatment of graphite in water leads ...

Reducing the impurity incorporation from residual gas by ion bombardment during high vacuum magnetron sputtering

The influence of ion energy on the hydrogen incorporation has been investigated for alumina thin films, deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering in an Ar/O2/H2O environment. Ar+ with an average kinetic energy of ~5 eV was determined to be the dominating species in the plasma. The films were analyzed with x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and elastic recoil detection analysis, demonstrating evidence for amorphous films with stoichiometric O/Al ratio. As the substrate bias potential was increased from –15 V (floating potential) to –100 V, the hydrogen content decreased by ~70%, from 9.1 to 2.8 at. %. Based on ab initio calculations, these results may be understood by thermodynamic principles, where a supply of energy enables surface diffusion, H2 formation, and desorption [Rosen et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 17, L137 (2005)]. These findings are of importance for the understanding of the correlation between ion energy and film composition and also show a pathway to reduce impurity incorporation during film growth in a high vacuum ambient.

Stirring-induced aggregation of graphene in suspension

Graphene in suspension undergoes stirring-induced aggregation that leads to reversible agglomeration and folding/scrolling, all of which affects the Raman spectra; the findings are of importance in all solution-based protocols for graphene preparation and processing.

The reagent-free, microwave-assisted purification of carbon nanotubes

We have developed a microwave-assisted, reagent-free method for the efficient primary purification of MW and SW carbon nanotubes that is extremely fast compared to previously reported processes. The treatment dissociates and disperses non-nanotube carbon in an organic solvent to yield very pure carbon nanotubes within a few minutes of heating and a simple filtration, without the involvement of acidic/oxidative reagents. According to thermogravimetric analysis, Raman and IR spectroscopy, as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopy, the process yields pure nanotubes with a low degree of defects.

Transfer of carbon nanosheet films to nongrowth, zero thermal budget substrates

Carbon-based nanostructures and materials have become a popular subject of research due to their unique thermal, mechanical, electrical, and optical properties. For example, the strong C–C bonds of graphene-based systems allow for excellent thermal conduction at room temperature and the conjugation of the sp2 lattice enables extremely high electron mobility. However, the use of carbon nanostructures as a component in polymer composites, sensors, mirco-electro-mechanical systems, and both rigid and flexible electronics has been limited by several factors, including the incompatibility with standard photolithography techniques, the high temperatures required for the nanostructure growth, and the presence of—or complication—of removing noncarbon species. Here, the authors report on a novel method for the transfer of carbon nanosheets to a low or zero thermal budget substrate while maintaining their original morphology and electrical properties. Four-point probe measurements’ post-transfer shows the retention...

Functionalization and Area-Selective Deposition of Magnetic Carbon-Coated Iron Nanoparticles from Solution

A route to area-selective deposition of carbon-coated iron nanoparticles, involving chemical modification of the surface of the particles, is described. Partial oxidative etching of the coating introduces carboxylic groups, which then are esterified. The functionalized particles can be selectively deposited on the Si areas of Si/SiO2 substrates by a simple dipping procedure. Nanoparticles and nanoassemblies have been analyzed using SEM, TEM, and XPS.