Geometry, mechanics and electronics of singular structures and wrinkles in graphene

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the unique geometry and mechanical properties of graphene influence its electronic structure and transport, especially near singularities like wrinkles, using simulations and analytical methods.

Contribution

It combines atomistic simulations, analytical geometry, and electronic calculations to analyze the effects of geometry on graphene's electronic properties and transport behavior.

Findings

Geometry affects electronic structure and mobility.

Pseudo-magnetic fields can disrupt Landau quantization.

Wrinkles influence transport in suspended graphene.

Abstract

As the thinnest atomic membrane, graphene presents an opportunity to combine geometry, elasticity and electronics at the limits of their validity. The availability of reliable atomistic potentials for graphene allows unprecedented precise simulations of the mechanical response of atomic membranes. Here we describe the transport and electronic structure in the neighbourhood of conical singularities, the elementary excitations of the ubiquitous wrinkled and crumpled graphene that occur in non-epitaxial suspended samples where shear stresses are unavoidable. We use a combination of atomistic mechanical simulations, analytical geometry and transport calculations in curved graphene, and exact diagonalization of the electronic spectrum to calculate the effects of geometry on electronic structure, transport and mobility in suspended samples. We also point out how the geometry-generated pseudo-magnetic/electric fields might disrupt Landau quantization under a magnetic field.