2013/03/04 by Oleg V. Yazyev · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.mes-hall #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1021/ar3001487
published as Acc. Chem. Res. 46, 2319 (2013) · Invited review article in Accounts of Chemical Research, special issue on graphene (part 2)
arxiv created 2013/03/04 · arxiv updated 2013/10/16
Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are one-dimensional nanostructures predicted to display a rich variety of electronic behaviors. Depending on their structure, GNRs realize metallic and semiconducting electronic structures with band gaps that can be tuned across broad ranges. Certain GNRs also exhibit a peculiar gapped magnetic phase for which the half-metallic state can be induced as well as the topologically non-trivial quantum spin Hall electronic phase. Because their electronic properties are highly tunable, GNRs have quickly become a popular subject of research toward the design of graphene-based nanostructures for technological applications. This Account presents a pedagogical overview of the various degrees of freedom in the atomic structure and interactions that researchers can use to tailor the electronic structure of these materials. The Account provides a broad picture of relevant physical concepts that would facilitate the rational design of GNRs with desired electronic properties through synthetic techniques.