Buckyball sandwiches

TL;DR

This paper presents the first direct imaging of a novel 0D/2D heterostructure where C60 molecules are sandwiched between graphene layers, enabling atomic-resolution analysis of molecular structure and dynamics.

Contribution

It demonstrates the creation and imaging of a suspended C60/graphene heterostructure, revealing ordered molecular islands and providing a new nanoscale reaction chamber.

Findings

Ordered C60 islands down to single molecules

Graphene layers shield molecules during imaging

The structure enables atomic-resolution analysis of molecular dynamics

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have considerably expanded the field of materials science in the last decade. Even more recently, various 2D materials have been assembled into vertical van der Waals heterostacks, and it has been proposed to combine them with other low- dimensional structures to create new materials with hybridized properties. Here, we demonstrate the first direct images of a suspended 0D/2D heterostructure incorporating $C_{60}$ molecules between two graphene layers in a buckyball sandwich structure. We find clean and ordered $C_{60}$ islands with thicknesses down to one molecule, shielded by the graphene layers from the microscope vacuum and partially protected from radiation damage during scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging. The sandwich structure serves as a 2D nanoscale reaction chamber allowing the analysis of the structure of the molecules and their dynamics at atomic resolution.