Domain-dependent surface adhesion in twisted few-layer graphene: Platform for moir\'e-assisted chemistry

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that stacking domains in twisted few-layer graphene can be used to control surface chemistry, enabling selective adhesion and local reconfiguration of moiré patterns, with implications for nanoengineering.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of stacking domain-dependent surface chemistry in twisted graphene and shows how it can be manipulated for nanoengineering applications.

Findings

Selective adhesion of nanoparticles and water at specific stacking domains

Manipulation of nanoparticles can reconfigure moiré superlattice locally

First-principles simulations explain the energetics of adhesion on stacking domains

Abstract

Twisted van der Waals multilayers are widely regarded as a rich platform to access novel electronic phases, thanks to the multiple degrees of freedom such as layer thickness and twist angle that allow control of their electronic and chemical properties. Here, we propose that the stacking domains that form naturally due to the relative twist between successive layers act as an additional "knob" for controlling the behavior of these systems, and report the emergence and engineering of stacking domain-dependent surface chemistry in twisted few-layer graphene. Using mid-infrared near-field optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy, we observe a selective adhesion of metallic nanoparticles and liquid water at the domains with rhombohedral stacking configurations of minimally twisted double bi- and tri-layer graphene. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the manipulation of nanoparticles located at certain stacking domains can locally reconfigure the moir\'e superlattice in their vicinity at the {\mu}m-scale. In addition, we report first-principles simulations of the energetics of adhesion of metal atoms and water molecules on the stacking domains in an attempt to elucidate the origin of the observed selective adhesion. Our findings establish a new approach to controlling moir\'e-assisted chemistry and nanoengineering.