The Graphene-Info newsletter

Two recent studies by a collaborative team of scientists from two NCCR MARVEL labs have identified a new type of defect as the most common source of disorder in on-surface synthesized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs).

Combining scanning probe microscopy with first-principles calculations allowed the researchers to identify the atomic structure of these so-called "bite" defects and to investigate their effect on quantum electronic transport in two different types of graphene nanoribbon. They also established guidelines for minimizing the detrimental impact of these defects on electronic transport and proposed defective zigzag-edged nanoribbons as suitable platforms for certain applications in spintronics.

Researchers from the University of Surrey have designed a new method that enables common laboratory scanning electron microscopes to see graphene growing over a microchip surface in real time.

This discovery could create a way to control the growth of graphene in production factories and lead to the reliable production of graphene layers. The new technique not only produces graphene sheets reliably but also allows to use catalysts that reduce growth times from several hours to only a few minutes.