scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Journal ArticleDOI

The electronic properties of graphene

TL;DR: In this paper, the basic theoretical aspects of graphene, a one-atom-thick allotrope of carbon, with unusual two-dimensional Dirac-like electronic excitations, are discussed.
Abstract: This article reviews the basic theoretical aspects of graphene, a one-atom-thick allotrope of carbon, with unusual two-dimensional Dirac-like electronic excitations. The Dirac electrons can be controlled by application of external electric and magnetic fields, or by altering sample geometry and/or topology. The Dirac electrons behave in unusual ways in tunneling, confinement, and the integer quantum Hall effect. The electronic properties of graphene stacks are discussed and vary with stacking order and number of layers. Edge (surface) states in graphene depend on the edge termination (zigzag or armchair) and affect the physical properties of nanoribbons. Different types of disorder modify the Dirac equation leading to unusual spectroscopic and transport properties. The effects of electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in single layer and multilayer graphene are also presented.

Content maybe subject to copyright    Report

Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
24 Nov 2016-Nature
TL;DR: This work discusses SOC as a means of producing such fundamentally new physical phenomena in thin films and heterostructures and puts into context the technological promise of these material classes for developing spin-based device applications at room temperature.
Abstract: Spin–orbit coupling (SOC) describes the relativistic interaction between the spin and momentum degrees of freedom of electrons, and is central to the rich phenomena observed in condensed matter systems. In recent years, new phases of matter have emerged from the interplay between SOC and low dimensionality, such as chiral spin textures and spin-polarized surface and interface states. These low-dimensional SOC-based realizations are typically robust and can be exploited at room temperature. Here we discuss SOC as a means of producing such fundamentally new physical phenomena in thin films and heterostructures. We put into context the technological promise of these material classes for developing spin-based device applications at room temperature. The interplay between spin–orbit coupling and two-dimensionality has led to the emergence of new phases of matter, such as spin-polarized surface states in topological insulators, interfacial chiral spin interactions, and magnetic skyrmions in thin films, with great potential for spin-based devices. Substantial progress in the past decade in the fabrication and modelling of atomically precise interfaces and surfaces has led to the discovery of many electronic effects that are of interest for practical devices with novel functionalities. Christos Panagopoulos and colleagues review various such effects—and their technological potential—with a focus on the role of spin–orbit coupling, the fundamental interaction between the spin and charge degrees of freedom of an electron. Spin–orbit coupling can affect the electronic properties of materials at reduced dimensions, and the authors discuss the basic principles for understanding and engineering interfaces and surfaces in which spin–orbit coupling is harnessed. Examples are structures based on topological insulators where spin currents are generated or converted and magnetic layers where spin–orbit coupling leads to spin textures that can be controlled.

775 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the basic aspects of electrons in graphene (two-dimensional graphite) exposed to a strong perpendicular magnetic field are reviewed, and the role of electron-electron interactions both in the weak coupling limit, where the electron-hole excitations are determined by collective modes, and in the strong coupling regime of partially filled relativistic Landau levels, where exotic ferromagnetic phases and incompressible quantum liquids are expected to be at the origin of recently observed (fractional) quantum Hall states.
Abstract: The basic aspects of electrons in graphene (two-dimensional graphite) exposed to a strong perpendicular magnetic field are reviewed. One of its most salient features is the relativistic quantum Hall effect, the observation of which has been the experimental breakthrough in identifying pseudorelativistic massless charge carriers as the low-energy excitations in graphene. The effect may be understood in terms of Landau quantization for massless Dirac fermions, which is also the theoretical basis for the understanding of more involved phenomena due to electronic interactions. The role of electron-electron interactions both in the weak-coupling limit, where the electron-hole excitations are determined by collective modes, and in the strong-coupling regime of partially filled relativistic Landau levels are presented. In the latter limit, exotic ferromagnetic phases and incompressible quantum liquids are expected to be at the origin of recently observed (fractional) quantum Hall states. Furthermore, the electron-phonon coupling in a strong magnetic field is discussed. Although the present review has a dominant theoretical character, a close connection with available experimental observation is intended.

772 citations


Cites background from "The electronic properties of graphe..."

  • ...Furthermore, the review by Castro Neto (Castro Neto et al., 2009) was concerned with general theoretical issues of electrons in graphene....

    [...]

01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: In this paper, it was shown experimentally and theoretically that the Moire pattern acts as a weak periodic potential and thereby leads to the emergence of a new set of Dirac points at an energy determined by its wavelength.
Abstract: The Schrodinger equation dictates that the propagation of nearly free electrons through a weak periodic potential results in the opening of band gaps near points of the reciprocal lattice known as Brillouin zone boundaries (1). However, in the case of massless Dirac fermions, it has been predicted that the chirality of the charge carriers prevents the opening of a band gap and instead new Dirac points appear in the electronic structure of the material (2, 3). Graphene on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) exhibits a rotation dependent Moire pattern (4, 5). In this letter, we show experimentally and theoretically that this Moire pattern acts as a weak periodic potential and thereby leads to the emergence of a new set of Dirac points at an energy determined by its wavelength. The new massless Dirac fermions generated at these superlattice Dirac points are characterized by a significantly reduced Fermi velocity. The local density of states near these Dirac cones exhibits hexagonal modulations indicating an anisotropic Fermi velocity.

760 citations


Cites methods from "The electronic properties of graphe..."

  • ...032 nm are calibrated to fit the interlayer couplings in bilayer graphene[6]....

    [...]

  • ...Due to its hexagonal lattice structure with a diatomic unit cell, graphene has low-energy electronic properties that are governed by the massless Dirac equation [6]....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This Review discusses the efforts undertaken so far to achieve efficient charge transport in MOFs and focuses on four common strategies that have been harnessed toward high conductivities.
Abstract: Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are intrinsically porous extended solids formed by coordination bonding between organic ligands and metal ions or clusters. High electrical conductivity is rare in M...

751 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Gatys et al. as mentioned in this paper explained the reason for my (and many other people's) fascination with this material, and invite the reader to share some of the excitement I've experienced while researching it.
Abstract: Much like the world described in Abbott's Flatland, graphene is a two-dimensional object. And, as ``Flatland'' is ``a romance of many dimensions,'' graphene is much more than just a flat crystal. It possesses a number of unusual properties which are often unique or superior to those in other materials. In this brief lecture I would like to explain the reason for my (and many other people's) fascination with this material, and invite the reader to share some of the excitement I've experienced while researching it.

749 citations


Cites background from "The electronic properties of graphe..."

  • ...…to the conductivity are positive (at least if we neglect the intervalley scattering and the effect of trigonal warping) (McCann et al., 2006; Castro Neto et al., 2009), resulting in weak antilocalization which has indeed been observed experimentally (Morozov et al., 2006; Tikhonenko et al., 2008)....

    [...]

  • ...One could also use bilayer graphene, as a gap can be opened by applying a potential difference between the two layers (Ohta et al., 2006; Castro et al., 2007; Oostinga et al., 2007; Kuzmenko et al., 2009a, 2009b; Zhang et al., 2009; Castro et al., 2010)....

    [...]

  • ...The absence of backscattering, which leads to the Klein paradox, also ensures that quantum (interference) corrections to the conductivity are positive (at least if we neglect the intervalley scattering and the effect of trigonal warping) (McCann et al., 2006; Castro Neto et al., 2009), resulting in weak antilocalization which has indeed been observed experimentally (Morozov et al., 2006; Tikhonenko et al., 2008)....

    [...]

  • ...The latter is a zero-overlap semimetal, with linear dispersion relations whenever the bands are parabolic in bilayer graphene, and a gap can be opened in the spectrum if the symmetry between the layers is broken (say by applying electric field between the layers) (McCann, 2006; Ohta et al., 2006; Castro et al., 2007; Oostinga et al., 2007)....

    [...]

  • ...Although the role of different scattering mechanisms is still debated (Ando and Nakanishi, 1998; Ando, 2006; Cheianov and Fal’ko, 2006b; Nomura and MacDonald, 2006; Ostrovsky et al., 2006; Peres et al., 2006; Adam et al., 2007; Nomura and MacDonald, 2007; Stauber et al., 2007; Chen et al., 2008; Katsnelson and Geim, 2008; Morozov et al., 2008; Ponomarenko et al., 2009; Ni et al., 2010), the careful elimination of Coulomb and resonant scatterers, as well as ripples, has allowed the achievement of mobilities of over 106 cm2=V s at low temperatures (Castro et al.) in freestanding devices (Bolotin et al., 2008; Du et al., 2008), and offers hope that values above 105 cm2=V s can be achieved even at ambient temperatures (Dean et al., 2010)....

    [...]

References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
22 Oct 2004-Science
TL;DR: Monocrystalline graphitic films are found to be a two-dimensional semimetal with a tiny overlap between valence and conductance bands and they exhibit a strong ambipolar electric field effect.
Abstract: We describe monocrystalline graphitic films, which are a few atoms thick but are nonetheless stable under ambient conditions, metallic, and of remarkably high quality. The films are found to be a two-dimensional semimetal with a tiny overlap between valence and conductance bands, and they exhibit a strong ambipolar electric field effect such that electrons and holes in concentrations up to 10 13 per square centimeter and with room-temperature mobilities of ∼10,000 square centimeters per volt-second can be induced by applying gate voltage.

55,532 citations


"The electronic properties of graphe..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Be ause the DC magnetotransport properties ofgraphene are normally measured with the possibilityof tuning its ele troni density by a gate potential(Novoselov et al., 2004), it is important to ompute the ondu tivity kernel, sin e this has dire t experimentalrelevan e....

    [...]

  • ...The same polarizability describes the screening of an external field perpendicular to the layers, like the one induced by a gate in electrically doped systems (Novoselov et al., 2004)....

    [...]

  • ...Because the DC magnetotransport properties of graphene are normally measured with the possibility of tuning its electronic density by a gate potential (Novoselov et al., 2004), it is important to compute the conductivity kernel, since this has direct experimental relevance....

    [...]

  • ...…studies of graphene sta ks have showed that, within reasing number of layers, the system be omes in reas-ingly metalli ( on entration of harge arriers at zero en-ergy gradually in reases), and there appear several typesof ele tron-and-hole-like arries (Morozov et al., 2005;Novoselov et al., 2004)....

    [...]

  • ...The same polarizabilitydes ribes the s reening of an external eld perpendi ularto the layers, like the one indu ed by a gate in ele tri- ally doped systems (Novoselov et al., 2004)....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Owing to its unusual electronic spectrum, graphene has led to the emergence of a new paradigm of 'relativistic' condensed-matter physics, where quantum relativistic phenomena can now be mimicked and tested in table-top experiments.
Abstract: Graphene is a rapidly rising star on the horizon of materials science and condensed-matter physics. This strictly two-dimensional material exhibits exceptionally high crystal and electronic quality, and, despite its short history, has already revealed a cornucopia of new physics and potential applications, which are briefly discussed here. Whereas one can be certain of the realness of applications only when commercial products appear, graphene no longer requires any further proof of its importance in terms of fundamental physics. Owing to its unusual electronic spectrum, graphene has led to the emergence of a new paradigm of 'relativistic' condensed-matter physics, where quantum relativistic phenomena, some of which are unobservable in high-energy physics, can now be mimicked and tested in table-top experiments. More generally, graphene represents a conceptually new class of materials that are only one atom thick, and, on this basis, offers new inroads into low-dimensional physics that has never ceased to surprise and continues to provide a fertile ground for applications.

35,293 citations


"The electronic properties of graphe..." refers background in this paper

  • ...As the current status of the experiment and potential applications have recently been reviewed (Geim and Novoselov, 2007), in this article we mostly concentrate on the theory and more technical aspects of electronic properties of this exciting new material....

    [...]

  • ...As the urrent status of the experimentand potential appli ations have re ently been reviewed(Geim and Novoselov, 2007), in this arti le we mostly on entrate on the theory and more te hni al aspe ts ofele troni properties of this ex iting new material....

    [...]

  • ...It has also been suggested that Coulomb intera tionsare onsiderably enhan ed in smaller geometries, su has graphene quantum dots (Milton Pereira Junior et al.,2007), leading to unusual Coulomb blo kade e e ts 4(Geim and Novoselov, 2007) and perhaps to magneti phenomena su h as the Kondo e e t....

    [...]

  • ...…most versatile systems in ondensedmatter resear h.Besides the unusual basi properties, graphene hasthe potential for a large number of appli ations(Geim and Novoselov, 2007), from hemi al sensors(Chen et al., 2007 ; S hedin et al., 2007) to transistors(Nilsson et al., 2007b; Oostinga et al.,…...

    [...]

  • ...Besides the unusual basic properties, graphene has the potential for a large number of applications (Geim and Novoselov, 2007), from chemical sensors (Chen et al....

    [...]

Book
01 Jan 1934
TL;DR: The theory of the slipline field is used in this article to solve the problem of stable and non-stressed problems in plane strains in a plane-strain scenario.
Abstract: Chapter 1: Stresses and Strains Chapter 2: Foundations of Plasticity Chapter 3: Elasto-Plastic Bending and Torsion Chapter 4: Plastic Analysis of Beams and Frames Chapter 5: Further Solutions of Elasto-Plastic Problems Chapter 6: Theory of the Slipline Field Chapter 7: Steady Problems in Plane Strain Chapter 8: Non-Steady Problems in Plane Strain

20,724 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
10 Nov 2005-Nature
TL;DR: This study reports an experimental study of a condensed-matter system (graphene, a single atomic layer of carbon) in which electron transport is essentially governed by Dirac's (relativistic) equation and reveals a variety of unusual phenomena that are characteristic of two-dimensional Dirac fermions.
Abstract: Quantum electrodynamics (resulting from the merger of quantum mechanics and relativity theory) has provided a clear understanding of phenomena ranging from particle physics to cosmology and from astrophysics to quantum chemistry. The ideas underlying quantum electrodynamics also influence the theory of condensed matter, but quantum relativistic effects are usually minute in the known experimental systems that can be described accurately by the non-relativistic Schrodinger equation. Here we report an experimental study of a condensed-matter system (graphene, a single atomic layer of carbon) in which electron transport is essentially governed by Dirac's (relativistic) equation. The charge carriers in graphene mimic relativistic particles with zero rest mass and have an effective 'speed of light' c* approximately 10(6) m s(-1). Our study reveals a variety of unusual phenomena that are characteristic of two-dimensional Dirac fermions. In particular we have observed the following: first, graphene's conductivity never falls below a minimum value corresponding to the quantum unit of conductance, even when concentrations of charge carriers tend to zero; second, the integer quantum Hall effect in graphene is anomalous in that it occurs at half-integer filling factors; and third, the cyclotron mass m(c) of massless carriers in graphene is described by E = m(c)c*2. This two-dimensional system is not only interesting in itself but also allows access to the subtle and rich physics of quantum electrodynamics in a bench-top experiment.

18,958 citations


"The electronic properties of graphe..." refers background or methods in this paper

  • ...This amazing re-sult has been observed experimentally (Novoselov et al.,2005a; Zhang et al., 2005) as shown in Fig.20....

    [...]

  • ...Adapted from(Novoselov et al., 2005a)....

    [...]

  • ...Adapted from (Novoselov et al.,2005a).and hen e σxy,inc. = I/VH = ±4Ne2/h, whi h is thenaive expe tation....

    [...]

  • ...The period of os illations ∆n = 4B/Φ0,where B is the applied eld and Φ0 is the ux quantum(Novoselov et al., 2005a).or equivalently: (Oσ+ + O†σ−)φ = (2E/ωc)φ , (100)where σ± = σx ± iσy, and we have de ned the dimen-sionless length s ale: ξ = y ℓB − ℓBk , (101)and 1D harmoni os illator operators: O =…...

    [...]

  • ...…invery unusual ways when ompared to ordinary ele tronsif subje ted to magneti elds, leading to new physi alphenomena (Gusynin and Sharapov, 2005; Peres et al.,2006 ) su h as the anomalous integer quantum Hall ef-fe t (IQHE) measured experimentally (Novoselov et al.,2005a; Zhang et al., 2005)....

    [...]

Book
01 Jan 1939

14,299 citations