Self-doped graphite nanobelts

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that mechanical deformation of graphite creates new charge carriers with enhanced concentration and effective mass, revealing potential for exploring high-field electronic phase transitions in the material.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of inducing charge carriers in graphite through mechanical deformation, enabling new insights into its electronic properties.

Findings

Charge carriers with higher concentration and effective mass are generated.

Defects from mechanical exfoliation can induce oscillatory behavior above 50 T.

Potential to explore field-induced electronic phase transitions.

Abstract

We report that mechanical deformation of graphite with cavity shock waves introduces a new group of charge carriers, with both effective mass and native concentration one order of magnitude above those found in the pristine material. Their nature, however, remains quasi-2D. Our results show that defects introduced during mechanical exfoliation have the potential to unlock oscillatory behavior above 50 T in graphite, thus providing a new probe for field-induced electronic phase transitions in the material.