Stacking Order in Graphite Films Controlled by Van der Waals Technology

TL;DR

This paper presents a van der Waals technology-based method to control the stacking order in graphite films, enabling tailored electronic properties and advancing research on ABC-stacked graphite.

Contribution

It introduces a novel technique to selectively control stacking sequences in graphite using directional encapsulation with hexagonal boron nitride.

Findings

Encapsulation along zigzag edges preserves ABC stacking.

Encapsulation along armchair edges transforms stacking to ABA.

Technique enables targeted manipulation of graphite stacking order.

Abstract

In graphite crystals, layers of graphene reside in three equivalent, but distinct, stacking positions typically referred to as A, B, and C projections. The order in which the layers are stacked defines the electronic structure of the crystal, providing an exciting degree of freedom which can be exploited for designing graphitic materials with unusual properties including predicted high-temperature superconductivity and ferromagnetism. However, the lack of control of the stacking sequence limits most research to the stable ABA form of graphite. Here we demonstrate a strategy to control the stacking order using van der Waals technology. To this end, we first visualise the distribution of stacking domains in graphite films and then perform directional encapsulation of ABC-rich graphite crystallites with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). We found that hBN-encapsulation which is introduced parallel to the graphite zigzag edges preserves ABC stacking, while encapsulation along the armchair edges transforms the stacking to ABA. The technique presented here should facilitate new research on the important properties of ABC graphite.