Camilli Luca, Jørgensen Jakob H, Tersoff Jerry, Stoot Adam C, Balog Richard, Cassidy Andrew, Sadowski Jerzy T, Bøggild Peter, Hornekær Liv
Center for Nanostructured Graphene, DTU Nanotech, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark.
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center iNANO, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark.
Nat Commun. 2017 Jun 29;8(1):47. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00042-4.
The ability to fabricate nanoscale domains of uniform size in two-dimensional materials could potentially enable new applications in nanoelectronics and the development of innovative metamaterials. However, achieving even minimal control over the growth of two-dimensional lateral heterostructures at such extreme dimensions has proven exceptionally challenging. Here we show the spontaneous formation of ordered arrays of graphene nano-domains (dots), epitaxially embedded in a two-dimensional boron-carbon-nitrogen alloy. These dots exhibit a strikingly uniform size of 1.6 ± 0.2 nm and strong ordering, and the array periodicity can be tuned by adjusting the growth conditions. We explain this behaviour with a model incorporating dot-boundary energy, a moiré-modulated substrate interaction and a long-range repulsion between dots. This new two-dimensional material, which theory predicts to be an ordered composite of uniform-size semiconducting graphene quantum dots laterally integrated within a larger-bandgap matrix, holds promise for novel electronic and optoelectronic properties, with a variety of potential device applications.The nanoscale patterning of two-dimensional materials offers the possibility of novel optoelectronic properties; however, it remains challenging. Here, Camilli et al. show the self-assembly of large arrays of highly-uniform graphene dots imbedded in a BCN matrix, enabling novel devices.
在二维材料中制造尺寸均匀的纳米级畴的能力，有可能在纳米电子学中实现新应用，并推动创新超材料的发展。然而，事实证明，在如此极端的尺寸下，即使对二维横向异质结构的生长实现最小程度的控制也极具挑战性。在此，我们展示了石墨烯纳米畴（点）有序阵列的自发形成，这些纳米畴外延嵌入在二维硼 - 碳 - 氮合金中。这些点呈现出惊人的均匀尺寸，为1.6 ± 0.2纳米，且具有很强的有序性，并且可以通过调整生长条件来调节阵列的周期性。我们用一个包含点边界能、莫尔调制衬底相互作用以及点之间长程排斥的模型来解释这种行为。这种新的二维材料，理论预测它是由均匀尺寸的半导体石墨烯量子点横向集成在较大带隙矩阵中形成的有序复合材料，有望具有新颖的电子和光电特性，具备多种潜在的器件应用。二维材料的纳米级图案化提供了具有新颖光电特性的可能性；然而，这仍然具有挑战性。在此，卡米利等人展示了嵌入在BCN矩阵中的高度均匀的石墨烯点的大阵列的自组装，从而实现了新型器件。
