A Two-Dimensional Carbon Semiconductor

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that defect patterning in graphene can create a stable, semiconducting 2D carbon material with a tunable band gap, enabling all-carbon electronic circuits without external modifications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel defect engineering approach to induce a band gap in graphene, leading to the prediction of a new 2D carbon semiconductor with embedded semiconducting ribbons.

Findings

Patterned defects open a 1.2 eV band gap in graphene.

Linear defect arrangements form embedded semiconducting ribbons.

The method enables all-carbon 2D circuit components.

Abstract

We show that patterned defects can be used to disrupt the sub-lattice symmetry of graphene so as to open up a band gap. This way of modifying graphene's electronic structure does not rely on external agencies, the addition of new elements or special boundaries. The method is used to predict a planar, low energy, graphene allotrope with a band gap of 1.2 eV. This defect engineering also allows semiconducting ribbons of carbon to be fabricated within graphene. Linear arrangements of defects lead to naturally embedded ribbons of the semiconducting material in graphene, offering the prospect of two-dimensional circuit logic composed entirely of carbon.