Energy Controlled Edge Formation for Graphene Nano Ribbons

TL;DR

This paper uses first principles calculations to estimate the energy needed to cut graphene sheets into armchair and zigzag nanoribbons, highlighting the energy difference and potential for experimental control.

Contribution

It provides the first quantitative energy estimates for forming armchair and zigzag graphene nanoribbons, aiding experimental design.

Findings

Zigzag cutting requires more energy than armchair by 0.174 eV

Energy control can influence edge configuration during graphene cutting

Potential for experimental manipulation of graphene edge types

Abstract

On the basis of first principles calculations, we report energy estimated to cut a graphene sheet into nanoribbons of armchair and zigzag configurations. Our calculations show that the energy required to cut a graphene sheet into zigzag configuration is higher than that of armchair configuration by an order of 0.174 eV. Thus, a control over the threshold energy might be helpful in designing an experiment for cutting a graphene sheet into smooth edged armchair or zigzag configurations.