Electronic Structures of Graphene Layers on Metal Foil: Effect of Point Defects

TL;DR

This study demonstrates how introducing point defects in graphene on metal foil alters its electronic properties, including scattering effects and bandgap opening, with potential applications in all-graphene electronics.

Contribution

It presents a simple method to create high-density point defects in graphene and analyzes their impact on electronic structures using STM and first-principles calculations.

Findings

Point defects cause intervalley and intravalley scattering.

Fermi velocity decreases near defects.

Periodic defects open a significant bandgap.

Abstract

Here we report a facile method to generate a high density of point defects in graphene on metal foil and show how the point defects affect the electronic structures of graphene layers. Our scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements, complemented by first principle calculations, reveal that the point defects result in both the intervalley and intravalley scattering of graphene. The Fermi velocity is reduced in the vicinity area of the defect due to the enhanced scattering. Additionally, our analysis further points out that periodic point defects can tailor the electronic properties of graphene by introducing a significant bandgap, which opens an avenue towards all-graphene electronics.