Graphene re-knits its holes

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that nano-holes in graphene can spontaneously heal with various atomic structures, revealing potential for precise graphene modification through controlled etching and re-knitting.

Contribution

It introduces a novel observation of hole healing in graphene at room temperature, combining nano-etching and re-knitting for advanced material tailoring.

Findings

Nano-holes in graphene heal spontaneously with different structures.

Healing process captured atom-by-atom via electron microscopy.

Potential for new graphene engineering techniques.

Abstract

Nano-holes, etched under an electron beam at room temperature in singlelayer graphene sheets as a result of their interaction with metalimpurities, are shown to heal spontaneously by filling up with either non-hexagon, graphene-like, or perfect hexagon 2D structures. Scanning transmission electron microscopy was employed to capture the healing process and study atom-by-atom the re-grown structure. A combination of these nano-scale etching and re-knitting processes could lead to new graphene tailoring approaches.