Graphene: electronic structure, transport and functionalization

• Applicant: Professor Karsten Horn, Ph.D., since 1/2011
• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2010 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 173988312

Graphene, the single plane layer of hexagonally coordinated carbon, has emerged within the last four years, because of its most unusual properties, as an exciting novel material, both from a fundamental and applications oriented point of view. Electronic transport data have initiated the ensuing storm of activity, by demonstrating the massless and chiral “Dirac Fermion” nature of graphene’s charge carriers. Here we propose to combine established methods for solid state research in 2D, such as LEED, STM, and photoemission, with transport (conductance) experiments using a four point probe, in one UHV experiment. This will enable us to directly correlate spectroscopic findings on the electronic structure, i.e. changes in the band structure, with the impact such changes have on electronic transport. We will use epitaxial graphene layers on silicon carbide since these permit insight into the fundamental properties of graphene. The major part of the proposal concerns the modification of the electronic properties as determined in transport, in a controlled manner through doping and functionalization, with special emphasis on the interaction between graphene and hydrogen. The ability to determine carrier concentration through a measurement of the 2D Fermi surface by photoemission, and to compare it with the variation in conductivity of mono- and bilayer is a specific advantage of our planned experiments.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1459: Graphen
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Privatdozent Dr. Yuriy Dedkov, until 1/2011