Graphene for Electronics

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "2D and Carbon Nanomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 30918

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Department of Physics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
Interests: graphene; kondo effect; renormalization and scaling
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Dear Colleagues,

Graphene is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice. Graphene’s unique properties of thinness and conductivity have led to global research into its applications as a semiconductor. With the ability to well conduct electricity at room temperature, graphene semiconductors could easily be implemented into the existing semiconductor technologies and, in some cases, successfully compete with the traditional ones, such as silicon. Research has already shown that graphene chips are much faster than existing ones made from silicon. The world’s smallest transistor was manufactured using graphene. Flexible, wearable electronics may take advantage of graphene’s mechanical properties, as well as its conductivity, to create bendable touch screens for phones and tablets, for example.

On the other hand, the physics of graphene and graphene-based systems has inspired the application (and development) of many advanced theoretical methods, including those outside the scope of traditional condensed matter physics. Graphene thus turned into the favorite benchmark of theorists. Fundamental studies went hand in hand with the applied ones and, in some cases, the former even opened doors to possible applications.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials will attempt to cover recent studies, both theoretical and experimental, that advance our understanding of graphene and may be relevant to graphene electronics. This includes (but is not limited to) studies of the processing, modification, and characterization of graphene and other 2D layered materials, studies of the mechanical, transport, magnetic, and optical properties of graphene, and studies of graphene-based electronic devices and structures.

Prof. Dr. Eugene Kogan
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • graphene
  • electronic devices and structures
  • processing, modification, and characterization of graphene
  • graphene doping
  • transport properties of graphene
  • magnetic properties of graphene
  • optical properties of graphene

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 167 KiB  
Editorial
Graphene for Electronics
by Eugene Kogan
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(24), 4359; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12244359 - 7 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1184
Abstract
Graphene is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

15 pages, 5784 KiB  
Article
Conductive Inks Based on Melamine Intercalated Graphene Nanosheets for Inkjet Printed Flexible Electronics
by Magdalena Kralj, Sara Krivačić, Irena Ivanišević, Marko Zubak, Antonio Supina, Marijan Marciuš, Ivan Halasz and Petar Kassal
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(17), 2936; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12172936 - 25 Aug 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2826
Abstract
With the growing number of flexible electronics applications, environmentally benign ways of mass-producing graphene electronics are sought. In this study, we present a scalable mechanochemical route for the exfoliation of graphite in a planetary ball mill with melamine to form melamine-intercalated graphene nanosheets [...] Read more.
With the growing number of flexible electronics applications, environmentally benign ways of mass-producing graphene electronics are sought. In this study, we present a scalable mechanochemical route for the exfoliation of graphite in a planetary ball mill with melamine to form melamine-intercalated graphene nanosheets (M-GNS). M-GNS morphology was evaluated, revealing small particles, down to 14 nm in diameter and 0.4 nm thick. The M-GNS were used as a functional material in the formulation of an inkjet-printable conductive ink, based on green solvents: water, ethanol, and ethylene glycol. The ink satisfied restrictions regarding stability and nanoparticle size; in addition, it was successfully inkjet printed on plastic sheets. Thermal and photonic post-print processing were evaluated as a means of reducing the electrical resistance of the printed features. Minimal sheet resistance values (5 kΩ/sq for 10 printed layers and 626 Ω/sq for 20 printed layers) were obtained on polyimide sheets, after thermal annealing for 1 h at 400 °C and a subsequent single intense pulsed light flash. Lastly, a proof-of-concept simple flexible printed circuit consisting of a battery-powered LED was realized. The demonstrated approach presents an environmentally friendly alternative to mass-producing graphene-based printed flexible electronics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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9 pages, 2814 KiB  
Article
Graphene-Based Ion-Selective Field-Effect Transistor for Sodium Sensing
by Ting Huang, Kan Kan Yeung, Jingwei Li, Honglin Sun, Md Masruck Alam and Zhaoli Gao
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(15), 2620; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12152620 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3065
Abstract
Field-effect transistors have attracted significant attention in chemical sensing and clinical diagnosis, due to their high sensitivity and label-free operation. Through a scalable photolithographic process in this study, we fabricated graphene-based ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) arrays that can continuously monitor sodium ions in [...] Read more.
Field-effect transistors have attracted significant attention in chemical sensing and clinical diagnosis, due to their high sensitivity and label-free operation. Through a scalable photolithographic process in this study, we fabricated graphene-based ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) arrays that can continuously monitor sodium ions in real-time. As the sodium ion concentration increased, the current–gate voltage characteristic curves shifted towards the negative direction, showing that sodium ions were captured and could be detected over a wide concentration range, from 10−8 to 10−1 M, with a sensitivity of 152.4 mV/dec. Time-dependent measurements and interfering experiments were conducted to validate the real-time measurements and the highly specific detection capability of our sensor. Our graphene ISFETs (G-ISFET) not only showed a fast response, but also exhibited remarkable selectivity against interference ions, including Ca2+, K+, Mg2+ and NH4+. The scalability, high sensitivity and selectivity synergistically make our G-ISFET a promising platform for sodium sensing in health monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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17 pages, 486 KiB  
Article
Quantum Diffusion in the Lowest Landau Level of Disordered Graphene
by Andreas Sinner and Gregor Tkachov
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(10), 1675; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12101675 - 14 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1809
Abstract
Electronic transport in the lowest Landau level of disordered graphene sheets placed in a homogeneous perpendicular magnetic field is a long-standing and cumbersome problem which defies a conclusive solution for several years. Because the modeled system lacks an intrinsic small parameter, the theoretical [...] Read more.
Electronic transport in the lowest Landau level of disordered graphene sheets placed in a homogeneous perpendicular magnetic field is a long-standing and cumbersome problem which defies a conclusive solution for several years. Because the modeled system lacks an intrinsic small parameter, the theoretical picture is infested with singularities and anomalies. We propose an analytical approach to the conductivity based on the analysis of the diffusive processes, and we calculate the density of states, the diffusion coefficient and the static conductivity. The obtained results are not only interesting from the purely theoretical point of view but have a practical significance as well, especially for the development of the novel high-precision calibration devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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18 pages, 3685 KiB  
Article
Superfluidity of Dipolar Excitons in a Double Layer of αT3 with a Mass Term
by Oleg L. Berman, Godfrey Gumbs, Gabriel P. Martins and Paula Fekete
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(9), 1437; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12091437 - 22 Apr 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1770
Abstract
We predict Bose-Einstein condensation and superfluidity of dipolar excitons, formed by electron-hole pairs in spatially separated gapped hexagonal αT3 (GHAT3) layers. In the αT3 model, the AB-honeycomb lattice structure is supplemented with C atoms located at the [...] Read more.
We predict Bose-Einstein condensation and superfluidity of dipolar excitons, formed by electron-hole pairs in spatially separated gapped hexagonal αT3 (GHAT3) layers. In the αT3 model, the AB-honeycomb lattice structure is supplemented with C atoms located at the centers of the hexagons in the lattice. We considered the αT3 model in the presence of a mass term which opens a gap in the energy-dispersive spectrum. The gap opening mass term, caused by a weak magnetic field, plays the role of Zeeman splitting at low magnetic fields for this pseudospin-1 system. The band structure of GHAT3 monolayers leads to the formation of two distinct types of excitons in the GHAT3 double layer. We consider two types of dipolar excitons in double-layer GHAT3: (a) “A excitons”, which are bound states of electrons in the conduction band (CB) and holes in the intermediate band (IB), and (b) “B excitons”, which are bound states of electrons in the CB and holes in the valence band (VB). The binding energy of A and B dipolar excitons is calculated. For a two-component weakly interacting Bose gas of dipolar excitons in a GHAT3 double layer, we obtain the energy dispersion of collective excitations, the sound velocity, the superfluid density, and the mean-field critical temperature Tc for superfluidity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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13 pages, 5387 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Extraction of the Grain Size, Single-Crystalline Grain Sheet Resistance, and Grain Boundary Resistivity of Polycrystalline Monolayer Graphene
by Honghwi Park, Junyeong Lee, Chang-Ju Lee, Jaewoon Kang, Jiyeong Yun, Hyowoong Noh, Minsu Park, Jonghyung Lee, Youngjin Park, Jonghoo Park, Muhan Choi, Sunghwan Lee and Hongsik Park
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(2), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12020206 - 9 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2634
Abstract
The electrical properties of polycrystalline graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are determined by grain-related parameters—average grain size, single-crystalline grain sheet resistance, and grain boundary (GB) resistivity. However, extracting these parameters still remains challenging because of the difficulty in observing graphene GBs [...] Read more.
The electrical properties of polycrystalline graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are determined by grain-related parameters—average grain size, single-crystalline grain sheet resistance, and grain boundary (GB) resistivity. However, extracting these parameters still remains challenging because of the difficulty in observing graphene GBs and decoupling the grain sheet resistance and GB resistivity. In this work, we developed an electrical characterization method that can extract the average grain size, single-crystalline grain sheet resistance, and GB resistivity simultaneously. We observed that the material property, graphene sheet resistance, could depend on the device dimension and developed an analytical resistance model based on the cumulative distribution function of the gamma distribution, explaining the effect of the GB density and distribution in the graphene channel. We applied this model to CVD-grown monolayer graphene by characterizing transmission-line model patterns and simultaneously extracted the average grain size (~5.95 μm), single-crystalline grain sheet resistance (~321 Ω/sq), and GB resistivity (~18.16 kΩ-μm) of the CVD-graphene layer. The extracted values agreed well with those obtained from scanning electron microscopy images of ultraviolet/ozone-treated GBs and the electrical characterization of graphene devices with sub-micrometer channel lengths. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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17 pages, 17299 KiB  
Article
Improvement of Temperature and Optical Power of an LED by Using Microfluidic Circulating System of Graphene Solution
by Yung-Chiang Chung, Han-Hsuan Chung and Shih-Hao Lin
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(7), 1719; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11071719 - 29 Jun 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2369
Abstract
Electric devices have evolved to become smaller, more multifunctional, and increasingly integrated. When the total volume of a device is reduced, insufficient heat dissipation may result in device failure. A microfluidic channel with a graphene solution may replace solid conductors for simultaneously supplying [...] Read more.
Electric devices have evolved to become smaller, more multifunctional, and increasingly integrated. When the total volume of a device is reduced, insufficient heat dissipation may result in device failure. A microfluidic channel with a graphene solution may replace solid conductors for simultaneously supplying energy and dissipating heat in a light emitting diode (LED). In this study, an automated recycling system using a graphene solution was designed that reduces the necessity of manual operation. The optical power and temperature of an LED using this system was measured for an extended period and compared with the performance of a solid conductor. The temperature difference of the LED bottom using the solid and liquid conductors reached 25 °C. The optical power of the LED using the liquid conductor was higher than that of the solid conductor after 120 min of LED operation. When the flow rate was increased, the temperature difference of the LED bottom between initial and 480 min was lower, and the optical power of the LED was higher. This result was attributable to the higher temperature of the LED with the solid conductor. Moreover, the optical/electric power transfer rate of the liquid conductor was higher than that of the solid conductor after 120 min of LED operation, and the difference increased over time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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12 pages, 742 KiB  
Article
Screening in Graphene: Response to External Static Electric Field and an Image-Potential Problem
by Vyacheslav M. Silkin, Eugene Kogan and Godfrey Gumbs
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(6), 1561; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11061561 - 13 Jun 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3376
Abstract
We present a detailed first-principles investigation of the response of a free-standing graphene sheet to an external perpendicular static electric field E. The charge density distribution in the vicinity of the graphene monolayer that is caused by E was determined using the [...] Read more.
We present a detailed first-principles investigation of the response of a free-standing graphene sheet to an external perpendicular static electric field E. The charge density distribution in the vicinity of the graphene monolayer that is caused by E was determined using the pseudopotential density-functional theory approach. Different geometries were considered. The centroid of this extra density induced by an external electric field was determined as zim = 1.048 Å at vanishing E, and its dependence on E has been obtained. The thus determined zim was employed to construct the hybrid one-electron potential which generates a new set of energies for the image-potential states. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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13 pages, 2039 KiB  
Article
Oblique and Asymmetric Klein Tunneling across Smooth NP Junctions or NPN Junctions in 8-Pmmn Borophene
by Zhan Kong, Jian Li, Yi Zhang, Shu-Hui Zhang and Jia-Ji Zhu
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(6), 1462; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11061462 - 31 May 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3171
Abstract
The tunneling of electrons and holes in quantum structures plays a crucial role in studying the transport properties of materials and the related devices. 8-Pmmn borophene is a new two-dimensional Dirac material that hosts tilted Dirac cone and chiral, [...] Read more.
The tunneling of electrons and holes in quantum structures plays a crucial role in studying the transport properties of materials and the related devices. 8-Pmmn borophene is a new two-dimensional Dirac material that hosts tilted Dirac cone and chiral, anisotropic massless Dirac fermions. We adopt the transfer matrix method to investigate the Klein tunneling of massless fermions across the smooth NP junctions and NPN junctions of 8-Pmmn borophene. Like the sharp NP junctions of 8-Pmmn borophene, the tilted Dirac cones induce the oblique Klein tunneling. The angle of perfect transmission to the normal incidence is 20.4, a constant determined by the Hamiltonian of 8-Pmmn borophene. For the NPN junction, there are branches of the Klein tunneling in the phase diagram. We find that the asymmetric Klein tunneling is induced by the chirality and anisotropy of the carriers. Furthermore, we show the oscillation of electrical resistance related to the Klein tunneling in the NPN junctions. One may analyze the pattern of electrical resistance and verify the existence of asymmetric Klein tunneling experimentally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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13 pages, 3901 KiB  
Article
Feature-Rich Geometric and Electronic Properties of Carbon Nanoscrolls
by Shih-Yang Lin, Sheng-Lin Chang, Cheng-Ru Chiang, Wei-Bang Li, Hsin-Yi Liu and Ming-Fa Lin
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(6), 1372; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11061372 - 22 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2269
Abstract
How to form carbon nanoscrolls with non-uniform curvatures is worthy of a detailed investigation. The first-principles method is suitable for studying the combined effects due to the finite-size confinement, the edge-dependent interactions, the interlayer atomic interactions, the mechanical strains, and the magnetic configurations. [...] Read more.
How to form carbon nanoscrolls with non-uniform curvatures is worthy of a detailed investigation. The first-principles method is suitable for studying the combined effects due to the finite-size confinement, the edge-dependent interactions, the interlayer atomic interactions, the mechanical strains, and the magnetic configurations. The complex mechanisms can induce unusual essential properties, e.g., the optimal structures, magnetism, band gaps and energy dispersions. To reach a stable spiral profile, the requirements on the critical nanoribbon width and overlapping length will be thoroughly explored by evaluating the width-dependent scrolling energies. A comparison of formation energy between armchair and zigzag nanoscrolls is useful in understanding the experimental characterizations. The spin-up and spin-down distributions near the zigzag edges are examined for their magnetic environments. This accounts for the conservation or destruction of spin degeneracy. The various curved surfaces on a relaxed nanoscroll will create complicated multi-orbital hybridizations so that the low-lying energy dispersions and energy gaps are expected to be very sensitive to ribbon width, especially for those of armchair systems. Finally, the planar, curved, folded, and scrolled graphene nanoribbons are compared with one another to illustrate the geometry-induced diversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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11 pages, 6432 KiB  
Article
Ab Initio Theory of Photoemission from Graphene
by Eugene Krasovskii
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1212; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11051212 - 3 May 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2300
Abstract
Angle-resolved photoemission from monolayer and bilayer graphene is studied based on an ab initio one-step theory. The outgoing photoelectron is represented by the time-reversed low energy electron diffraction (LEED) state ΦLEED*, which is calculated using a scattering theory formulated in [...] Read more.
Angle-resolved photoemission from monolayer and bilayer graphene is studied based on an ab initio one-step theory. The outgoing photoelectron is represented by the time-reversed low energy electron diffraction (LEED) state ΦLEED*, which is calculated using a scattering theory formulated in terms of augmented plane waves. A strong enhancement of the emission intensity is found to occur around the scattering resonances. The effect of the photoelectron scattering by the underlying substrate on the polarization dependence of the photocurrent is discussed. The constant initial state spectra I(k||,ω) are compared to electron transmission spectra T(E) of graphene, and the spatial structure of the outgoing waves is analyzed. It turns out that the emission intensity variations do not correlate with the structure of the T(E) spectra and are caused by rather subtle interference effects. Earlier experimental observations of the photon energy and polarization dependence of the emission intensity I(k||,ω) are well reproduced within the dipole approximation, and the Kohn–Sham eigenstates are found to provide a quite reasonable description of the photoemission final states. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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20 pages, 2366 KiB  
Article
Atomistic Band-Structure Computation for Investigating Coulomb Dephasing and Impurity Scattering Rates of Electrons in Graphene
by Thi-Nga Do, Danhong Huang, Po-Hsin Shih, Hsin Lin and Godfrey Gumbs
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1194; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11051194 - 1 May 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2301
Abstract
In this paper, by introducing a generalized quantum-kinetic model which is coupled self-consistently with Maxwell and Boltzmann transport equations, we elucidate the significance of using input from first-principles band-structure computations for an accurate description of ultra-fast dephasing and scattering dynamics of electrons in [...] Read more.
In this paper, by introducing a generalized quantum-kinetic model which is coupled self-consistently with Maxwell and Boltzmann transport equations, we elucidate the significance of using input from first-principles band-structure computations for an accurate description of ultra-fast dephasing and scattering dynamics of electrons in graphene. In particular, we start with the tight-binding model (TBM) for calculating band structures of solid covalent crystals based on localized Wannier orbital functions, where the employed hopping integrals in TBM have been parameterized for various covalent bonds. After that, the general TBM formalism has been applied to graphene to obtain both band structures and wave functions of electrons beyond the regime of effective low-energy theory. As a specific example, these calculated eigenvalues and eigen vectors have been further utilized to compute the Bloch-function form factors and intrinsic Coulomb diagonal-dephasing rates for induced optical coherence of electron-hole pairs in spectral and polarization functions, as well as the energy-relaxation time from extrinsic impurity scattering of electrons for non-equilibrium occupation in band transport. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene for Electronics)
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