Graphene is a promising material for electronic devices because it has excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. However, its use in devices has been limited because it is difficult to control its crystal structure. The crystal structure of graphene determines its electronic properties, such as its band gap, which is the energy difference between the valence and conduction bands.
The Manchester physicists found that they could change the crystal structure of graphene by applying pressure. They used a diamond anvil cell to apply pressures of up to 25 gigapascals (GPa), which is equivalent to the pressure at the center of the Earth.
At these pressures, the graphene lattice transformed into a new crystal structure called ABC stacking. In ABC stacking, the carbon atoms are arranged in a hexagonal lattice, but the layers are stacked in an alternating pattern. This new crystal structure has a different band gap than the original graphene lattice, which could make it more suitable for certain electronic devices.
The discovery of a way to change the crystal structure of graphene could open up new possibilities for the development of electronic devices. For example, it could be possible to create transistors with different band gaps, which could be used to improve the efficiency of solar cells and other electronic devices.
The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.
