Titanium-island formation on graphene as a function of defect density is investigated. When depositing titanium on pristine graphene, titanium atoms cluster and form islands with an average diameter of about 10nm and an average height of a few atomic
layers. We show that if defects are introduced in the graphene by ion bombardment, the mobility of the deposited titanium atoms is reduced and the average diameter of the islands decreases to 5nm with monoatomic height. This results in an optimized coverage for hydrogen storage applications since the actual titanium surface available per unit graphene area is significantly increased.
The transport properties of epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001) at quantizing magnetic fields are investigated. Devices patterned perpendicularly to SiC terraces clearly exhibit bilayer inclusions distributed along the substrate step edges. We show that
the transport properties in the quantum Hall regime are heavily affected by the presence of bilayer inclusions, and observe a significant departure from the conventional quantum Hall characteristics. A quantitative model involving enhanced inter-channel scattering mediated by the presence of bilayer inclusions is presented that successfully explains the observed symmetry properties.
We investigate the morphology of quasi-free-standing monolayer graphene (QFMLG) formed at several temperatures by hydrogen intercalation and discuss its relationship with transport properties. Features corresponding to incomplete hydrogen intercalati
on at the graphene-substrate interface are observed by scanning tunneling microscopy on QFMLG formed at 600 and 800{deg}C. They contribute to carrier scattering as charged impurities. Voids in the SiC substrate and wrinkling of graphene appear at 1000{deg}C, and they decrease the carrier mobility significantly.
We report on hydrogen adsorption and desorption on titanium-covered graphene in order to test theoretical proposals to use of graphene functionalized with metal atoms for hydrogen storage. At room temperature titanium islands grow with an average dia
meter of about 10 nm. Samples were then loaded with hydrogen, and its desorption kinetics was studied by thermal desorption spectroscopy. We observe the desorption of hydrogen in the temperature range between 400K and 700 K. Our results demonstrate the stability of hydrogen binding at room temperature and show that hydrogen desorbs at moderate temperatures in line with what required for practical hydrogen-storage applications.
Electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometers in the Quantum Hall (QH) regime are currently discussed for the realization of quantum information schemes. A recently proposed device architecture employs interference between two co-propagating edge channels.
Here we demonstrate the precise control of individual edge-channel trajectories in quantum point contact devices in the QH regime. The biased tip of an atomic force microscope is used as a moveable local gate to pilot individual edge channels. Our results are discussed in light of the implementation of multi-edge interferometers.
We report on quantum-interference measurements in top-gated Hall bars of monolayer graphene epitaxially grown on the Si face of SiC, in which the transition from negative to positive magnetoresistance was achieved varying temperature and charge densi
ty. We perform a systematic study of the quantum corrections to the magnetoresistance due to quantum interference of quasiparticles and electron-electron interaction. We analyze the contribution of the different scattering mechanisms affecting the magnetotransport in the $-2.0 times 10^{10}$ cm$^{-2}$ to $3.75 times 10^{11}$ cm$^{-2}$ density region and find a significant influence of the charge density on the intravalley scattering time. Furthermore, we observe a modulation of the electron-electron interaction with charge density not accounted for by present theory. Our results clarify the role of quantum transport in SiC-based devices, which will be relevant in the development of a graphene-based technology for coherent electronics.
The ability of atomic hydrogen to chemisorb on graphene makes the latter a promising material for hydrogen storage. Based on scanning tunneling microscopy techniques, we report on site-selective adsorption of atomic hydrogen on convexly curved region
s of monolayer graphene grown on SiC(0001). This system exhibits an intrinsic curvature owing to the interaction with the substrate. We show that at low coverage hydrogen is found on convex areas of the graphene lattice. No hydrogen is detected on concave regions. These findings are in agreement with theoretical models which suggest that both binding energy and adsorption barrier can be tuned by controlling the local curvature of the graphene lattice. This curvature-dependence combined with the known graphene flexibility may be exploited for storage and controlled release of hydrogen at room temperature making it a valuable candidate for the implementation of hydrogen-storage devices.
On the SiC(0001) surface (the silicon face of SiC), epitaxial graphene is obtained by sublimation of Si from the substrate. The graphene film is separated from the bulk by a carbon-rich interface layer (hereafter called the buffer layer) which in par
t covalently binds to the substrate. Its structural and electronic properties are currently under debate. In the present work we report scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies of the buffer layer and of quasi-free-standing monolayer graphene (QFMLG) that is obtained by decoupling the buffer layer from the SiC(0001) substrate by means of hydrogen intercalation. Atomic resolution STM images of the buffer layer reveal that, within the periodic structural corrugation of this interfacial layer, the arrangement of atoms is topologically identical to that of graphene. After hydrogen intercalation, we show that the resulting QFMLG is relieved from the periodic corrugation and presents no detectable defect sites.
