Physics Commons^™

Proximitized Materials, Igor Žutić, Alex Matos-Abiague, Benedikt Scharf, Hanan Dery, Kirill Belashchenko

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Advances in scaling down heterostructures and having an improved interface quality together with atomically thin two-dimensional materials suggest a novel approach to systematically design materials. A given material can be transformed through proximity effects whereby it acquires properties of its neighbors, for example, becoming superconducting, magnetic, topologically nontrivial, or with an enhanced spin-orbit coupling. Such proximity effects not only complement the conventional methods of designing materials by doping or functionalization but can also overcome their various limitations. In proximitized materials it is possible to realize properties that are not present in any constituent region of the considered heterostructure. While the …

The Incorporation Of Graphene To Lithium Cobalt Oxide As A Cathode To Improve The Performance Of Lithium Ion Batteries, Kenan Wang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the objectives of this thesis work was to investigate the cathode performance of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) incorporated with graphene powder in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Graphene powder was incorporated into cathode materials to enhance the performance of LIBs. The other objective was to impede the construction of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) sheet using graphene sheet coating on its cathode.

The results of this work show that adding graphene powder improved the performance of LiCoO¬2 as a cathode material. With the incorporation of different weight percentages of graphene powder, the LiBs showed distinct changes in their charging …

Electronic And Quantum Transport Properties Of A Graphene-Bn Dot-Ring Hetero-Nanostructure, Max Seel, Ravindra Pandey

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Quantum dots, quantum rings, and, most recently, quantum dot-ring nanostructures have been studied for their interesting potential applications in nanoelectronic applications. Here, the electronic properties of a dot-ring hetero-nanostructure consisting of a graphene ring and graphene dot with a hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) ring serving as barrier between ring and dot are investigated using density functional theory. Analysis of the character of the wave functions near the Fermi level and of the charge distribution of this dot-ring structure and calculations of the quantum transport properties find asymmetry in the conductance resonances leading to asymmetric I–V characteristics which can be modified …

Nanoscale Devices Consisting Of Heterostructures Of Carbon Nanotubes And Two-Dimensional Layered Materials, Mohsen Nasseri

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

One dimensional carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and two-dimensional layered materials like graphene, MoS₂, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), etc. with different electrical and mechanical properties are great candidates for many applications in the future. In this study the synthesis and growth of carbon nanotubes on both conducting graphene and graphite substrates as well as insulating hBN substrate with precise crystallographic orientation is achieved. We show that the nanotubes have a clear preference to align to specific crystal directions of the underlying graphene or hBN substrate. On thicker flakes of graphite, the edges of these 2D materials can control the orientation …

Two Stream Instability In Graphene, Mitchell Duffer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Mitchell Duffer

Major: Physics

Project Sponsor: Ben Yu-Kuang Hu

Number of Project Credits: 2

Two Stream Instability in Graphene

We investigate the unstable modes of the two-stream instability in graphene to determine if they can occur. This instability occurs when a population of electrons streams past another inside graphene. We obtain the unstable modes by numerically determining the zeros of the non-equilibrium graphene dielectric function using MATLAB. The dielectric function used in this study, in contrast to previous studies, includes the effects of the particle-hole excitation continuum (PHEC) that normally quells the evolution of unstable plasmons. MATLAB’s built in zero …

Optimization And Control Of Production Of Graphene, Atharva Hans, Nimish M. Awalgaonkar, Majed Alrefae, Ilias Bilionis, Timothy S. Fisher

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Graphene is a 2-dimensional element of high practical importance. Despite its exceptional properties, graphene’s real applications in industrial or commercial products have been limited. There are many methods to produce graphene, but none has been successful in commercializing its production. Roll-to-roll plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used to manufacture graphene at large scale. In this research, we present a Bayesian linear regression model to predict the roll-to-roll plasma system’s electrode voltage and current; given a particular set of inputs. The inputs of the plasma system are power, pressure and concentration of gases; hydrogen, methane, oxygen, nitrogen and argon. This …

Synthesis And Fundamental Property Studies Of Energy Material Under High Pressure., Meysam Akhtar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, high-pressure science and technology has flourished and rapidly advanced to impact a wide domain of materials and physical sciences. One of the most substantial technological developments is the integration of samples at ultrahigh pressure with a wide range of in-situ probing techniques. Applications of extreme pressure have significantly enriched our understanding of the electronic, phonon, and doping effects on the newly emerged two-dimensional (2D) materials. Under high pressure, materials’ atomic volume radically decreases, and electronic density rises, which will lead to extraordinary chemical reaction kinetic and mechanisms. The promising capability of high pressure combine with the significance of novel …

Relaxation Of Charge In Monolayer Graphene: Fast Nonlinear Diffusion Versus Coulomb Effects, Eugene B. Kolomeisky, Joseph P. Straley

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Pristine monolayer graphene exhibits very poor screening because the density of states vanishes at the Dirac point. As a result, charge relaxation is controlled by the effects of zero-point motion (rather than by the Coulomb interaction) over a wide range of parameters. Combined with the fact that graphene possesses finite intrinsic conductivity, this leads to a regime of relaxation described by a nonlinear diffusion equation with a diffusion coefficient that diverges at zero charge density. Some consequences of this fast diffusion are self-similar superdiffusive regimes of relaxation, the development of a charge depleted region at the interface between electron- and …

High-Quality Chemical Vapor Deposition Graphene-Based Spin Transport Channels, Lester Florian Lampert

Dissertations and Theses

Spintronics reaches beyond typical charge-based information storage technologies by utilizing an addressable degree of freedom for electron manipulation, the electron spin polarization. With mounting experimental data and improved theoretical understanding of spin manipulation, spintronics has become a potential alternative to charge-based technologies. However, for a long time, spintronics was not thought to be feasible without the ability to electrostatically control spin conductance at room temperature. Only recently, graphene, a 2D honeycomb crystalline allotrope of carbon only one atom thick, was identified because of its predicted, long spin coherence length and experimentally realized electrostatic gate tunability. However, there exist several challenges …

Dft Study Of Adsorption Of Trimetallic Endohedral Fullerenes On Graphene, Nakul Nitin Karle

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A density functional theory (DFT) study on the geometric and electronic structure of C60 and Sc3N@C80 along with their adsorption on pristine single layer graphene (SLG) is presented. C60 is found to adsorb in two nearly degenerate configurations: (i) with a pentagon facing the SLG, which is the most stable one, and (ii) with a hexagon facing the SLG in a face-to-face perfect alignment, rarely common in Ï?â??Ï? interactions, 0.06 eV higher in energy. The calculated binding energy of 0.76 eV, which includes dispersion effects, is in good agreement with previous theoretical and experimental reports. On the contrary, Sc3N@C80 adsorption …

Spectroscopic And Microscopic Analysis Of Graphene For Sensor Applications, Tamanna Tasneem Khan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As a two-dimensional material, graphene shows very good thermal and electrical conductivities, which, with its unique optical properties, makes it suitable for a variety of applications. In this study, we present detailed investigations by confocal Raman and Drude model analysis of the material's changes and improvements, as it transitioned from 3D graphite to 2D graphene. Besides Raman spectral recording, which can detect single, a few, and multi-layers of graphene, confocal Raman mapping allows distinction of such domains and direct visualization of material inhomogeneity. Moreover, far-infrared transmittance measurements, which are related to electrical conductivity, demonstrate a distinct increase of conductivity with …

How Shape Of Simulated Graphene Sheets Affects Debye Scattering Patterns, Lindsay Lesh

Honors Projects

This research is about understanding the structure of a subset of graphitic stardust found in primitive meteorites (e.g. the Murchison meteorite). The carbon grains of interest exhibit a core-rim structure, where the core – with a density less than that of the graphitic rim – comprises the majority of the grain. Previous studies have shown that the cores are comprised primarily of unlayered graphene, and it has been hypothesized that the cores are the result of the rapid freezing (quenching) of a liquid carbon droplet. Electron diffraction is sensitive to small differences in crystal structure and simulated electron diffraction powder …

Graphene Kirigami And Its Use In Biocompatible Strain Sensor, Erik Vyhmeister

Honors Theses

Graphene's large fracture strain (>30%), chemical inertness, and piezoresistive nature make it well suited for use as a biocompatible strain sensor. A rectangular multilayer strucutre with graphene as its operative component was designed. It consists of a bottom layer of SU-8, a center layer of graphene, and a top layer of SU-8 and gold, with gold acting as the electrical contact. Kirigami-style patterning is applied via photolithography and oxygen plasma etching, allowing for a greater fracture strain. Additionally, the kirigami affects the stress concentraton in the graphene, affecting its piezoresistive gauge factor. The complete (patterned) structure exhibited a fracture …

Measuring Nonlinear Properties Of Graphene Thin Films Using Z-Scan Technique, Thekrayat Hassan Al Abdulaal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The nonlinear studies of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, specifically graphene, are very significant since graphene is finding its usefulness in handling the enormous heat in nanoscale high-density power electronics. Graphene has emerged to be a promising nanomaterial as an excellent heat spreader due to its high thermal conductivity. However, the experimental nonlinear study of graphene materials and their application in developing future optoelectronic devices demands for more developed research.

The research objective is first to build a precise, and sensitive technique to investigate and understand the thermal nonlinear properties, including nonlinear refractive index (n2), nonlinear absorption coefficient (β), and thermo-optic coefficient …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Graphite Oxide Based Field Effect Transistors For Non­ Enzymatic Glucose-Sensor Application, Khadija Said Rahman

Theses

Graphite-oxide based metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) were fabricated and used as glucose sensor. Herein, graphite-oxide was assembled between two planer electrical electrodes. The sensitivity of the sensor has been enhanced by adding copper (Cu) or silver (Ag) nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were produced by sputtering and inert gas condensation inside an ultra-high vacuum compatible system, and they were self-assembled on the graphite-oxide. The sensitivity of the sensor was increased by an order of magnitude when the silver nanoparticles were added. The sensitivity of each MOSFET was studied at different concentrations of non-enzymatic glucose for potential use in medical and industrial applications.

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Between Molecules In The Vicinity Of Graphene- Coated Nanoparticles, Tingting Bian, Railing Chang, Pui T. Leung

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The recent demonstration of the plasmonic enhanced Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between two molecules in the vicinity of planar graphene monolayers is further investigated using graphene-coated nanoparticles (GNP). Due to the flexibility of these nanostructures in terms of their geometric (size) and dielectric (e.g. core material) properties, greater tunability of the FRET enhancement can be achieved employing the localized surface plasmons. It is found that while the typical characteristic graphene plasmonic enhancements are manifested from using these GNP’s, even higher enhancements can be possible via doping and manipulating the core materials. In addition, the broadband characteristics is further expanded …

Interaction-Induced Dirac Fermions From Quadratic Band Touching In Bilayer Graphene, Sumiran Pujari, Thomas C. Lang, Ganpathy Murthy, Ribhu K. Kaul

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We revisit the effect of local interactions on the quadratic band touching (QBT) of the Bernal honeycomb bilayer model using renormalization group (RG) arguments and quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations. We present a RG argument which predicts, contrary to previous studies, that weak interactions do not flow to strong coupling even if the free dispersion has a QBT. Instead, they generate a linear term in the dispersion, which causes the interactions to flow back to weak coupling. Consistent with this RG scenario, in unbiased QMC simulations of the Hubbard model we find compelling evidence that antiferromagnetism turns on at a …

Crystallographically-Oriented Carbon Nanotubes Grown On Few-Layer Graphene Films, David P. Hunley, Douglas R. Strachan

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Patents

A thermal and electrical conducting apparatus includes a few-layer graphene film having a thickness D where D≦1.5 nm and a plurality of carbon nanotubes crystallographically aligned with the few-layer graphene film.

Crystallographically-Oriented Carbon Nanotubes Grown On Few-Layer Graphene Films, Douglas R. Strachan, David P. Hunley

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Patents

A thermal and electrical conducting apparatus includes a few-layer graphene film having a thickness D where D≦1.5 nm and a plurality of carbon nanotubes crystallographically aligned with the few-layer graphene film.

Preparation And Characterization Of Van Der Waals Heterostructures, Horacio Coy Diaz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation different van der Waals heterostructures such as graphene-MoS₂ and MoTe₂-MoS₂ were prepared and characterized. In the first heterostructure, polycrystalline graphene was synthesized by chemical vapor deposition and transferred on top of MoS₂ single crystal. In the second heterostructure, MoTe₂ monolayers were deposited on MoS₂ by molecular beam epitaxy.

Characterization of graphene-MoS₂ heterostructures was conducted by spin and angle resolve spectroscopy which showed that the electronic structure of the bulk MoS₂ and graphene in this van der Waals heterostructures is modified. For MoS₂ underneath the graphene, a band …

The Effects Of Hydrazine Monohydrate Surface Doping On Graphene, Christian M. Stewart

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

In this project we investigate how the carrier concentration and scattering time of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene samples are affected by the exposure of these samples to hydrazine monohydrate. We used both immersion techniques and vapor deposition techniques to surface dope our graphene samples. We use both Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Hall effect measurements to investigate these effects.We find that after surface doping CVD graphene samples, the electron concentration greatly increases while the scattering time is nearly unaffected. We also find that this doping process with hydrazine monohydrate is reversible.

Effect Of Electrolyte Concentration On The Capacitance And Mobility Of Graphene, Flint A. Martino

Senior Theses

The use of graphene field-effect transistors as a biosensor is increasingly being used to study biological phenomena, due to the sensitivity and low reactivity of graphene. To further improve sensitivity in biological environments, we examined how different salt concentrations affect the mobility of capacitance of the graphene. Samples were also measured after an annealing process. We report on the positive correlation between sensitivity and electrolyte concentration and speculate on methods to improve future detectors. Mobility of the device was found to change from 1.07*10³cm²/ (V*s) in de-ionized water to 2.78*10³cm²/ (V*s) in …

Modeling The Behavior Of The Graphene To Liquid Interfaces In An Electrolytic Liquid, Caitlin Duffner

Senior Theses

Understanding the mechanism for charge transfer between a graphene biosensor and its electrodes within an electrolyte solution is vital to better understand the sources of electrical noise in the system. By measuring the effective resistance and capacitance of the system at different frequencies, it is possible to develop a circuit model of the system's electrical behavior. This model provides a deeper understanding of the fundamental interactions that occur in a top-­gated graphene device and provides opportunities to improve a signal. To reduce noise created at the liquid to graphene interface, a buffer layer of Yttrium Oxide was applied. While the …

Structure-Interaction Effects In Novel Nanostructured Materials, Nam B. Le

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in experimental and computational methods have opened up new directions in graphene fundamental studies. In addition to understanding the basic properties of this material and its quasi-one dimensional structures, significant efforts are devoted to describing their long ranged dispersive interactions. Other two-dimensional materials, such as silicene, germanene, and transition metal dichalcogenides, are also being investigated aiming at finding complementary to graphene systems with other "wonder" properties. The focus of this work is to utilize first principles simulations methods to build our basic knowledge of structure-interaction relations in two-dimensional materials and design their properties. In particular, mechanical folding and …

Emergence Of Helical Edge Conduction In Graphene At The Ν = 0 Quantum Hall State, Pavel Tikhonov, Efrat Shimshoni, H. A. Fertig, Ganpathy Murthy

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The conductance of graphene subject to a strong, tilted magnetic field exhibits a dramatic change from insulating to conducting behavior with tilt angle, regarded as evidence for the transition from a canted antiferromagnetic (CAF) to a ferromagnetic (FM) ν = 0 quantum Hall state. We develop a theory for the electric transport in this system based on the spin-charge connection, whereby the evolution in the nature of collective spin excitations is reflected in the charge-carrying modes. To this end, we derive an effective field-theoretical description of the low-energy excitations, associated with quantum fluctuations of the spin-valley domain-wall ground-state configuration which …

Interface-Induced Spin Polarization In Graphene On Chromia, Renu Choudhary, Pankaj Kumar, Priyanka Manchanda, David J. Sellmyer, Peter A. Dowben, Arti Kashyap, Ralph Skomski

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The induced spin polarization of graphene on Cr₂O₃ (001) is investigated using density-functional theory (DFT) and model calculations. The magnetic moment in graphene is a proximity effect and can be regarded as a second-order Stoner scenario, and similar mechanisms are likely realized for all graphene systems with an insulating magnetic substrate. In the absence of charge transfer, the magnetic moment would be quadratic in the exchange field, as contrasted to the usually encountered approximately linear dependence. The net magnetization of the graphene is small, of the order of 0.01 μB per atom, but the energy-dependent spin …

Collective Bulk And Edge Modes Through The Quantum Phase Transition In Graphene At Ν = 0, Ganpathy Murthy, Efrat Shimshoni, H. A. Fertig

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Undoped graphene in a strong, tilted magnetic field exhibits a radical change in conduction upon changing the tilt angle, which can be attributed to a quantum phase transition from a canted antiferromagnetic (CAF) to a ferromagnetic (FM) bulk state at filling factor ν = 0. This behavior signifies a change in the nature of the collective ground state and excitations across the transition. Using the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation, we study the collective neutral (particle-hole) excitations in the two phases, both in the bulk and on the edge of the system. The CAF has gapless neutral modes in the bulk, whereas …

Drag Reduction Using Graphene In Viscous Laminar Flow With Water And Isopropanol, Jessica M. Patalano, Akm Newaz Dr.

STAR Program Research Presentations

America has over 2.6 million miles of pipeline for the transportation of energy products, such as liquid petroleum and natural gas. Friction is one of the main sources for energy dissipation at liquid/solid interfaces that limits the transport of a fluid through a cylindrical pipe or tube. In order to make these pipelines more efficient and enhance the flow of these materials, it is necessary to find a coating material that reduces the frictional drag. The ideal material would reduce the drag between the fluid and solid interface while being easily synthesizable on the surface. The goal of this project …

Electronic Transport In Two-Dimensional Systems In The Quantum Hall Regime, Vinicio Tarquini

Wayne State University Dissertations

The integer and the fractional quantum Hall effects are essential to the exploration of quantum matters characterized by topological phases. A quantum Hall system hosts one-dimensional (1D) chiral edge channels that manifest zero magnetoresistance, dissipationless due to the broken time reversal symmetry, and quantized Hall resistance v h e^2 with v being the topological invariant (or Chern number). The 1-1 correspondence between the conducting gapless edge channels to the gapped incompressible bulk states is a defining character of a topological insulator (TI). Understanding this correspondence in real systems, especially the origin of its robustness (in terms of the limit of …

Charge-Induced Fluctuation Forces In Graphitic Nanostructures, D. Drosdoff, Igor V. Bondarev, Allan Wisdom, Rudolf Podogrnik, Lilia M. Woods

Physics Faculty Publications

Charge fluctuations in nanocircuits with capacitor components are shown to give rise to a novel type of long-ranged interaction, which coexist with the regular Casimir–van der Waals force. The developed theory distinguishes between thermal and quantum mechanical effects, and it is applied to capacitors involving graphene nanostructures. The charge fluctuations mechanism is captured via the capacitance of the system with geometrical and quantum mechanical components. The dependence on the distance separation, temperature, size, and response properties of the system shows that this type of force can have a comparable and even dominant effect to the Casimir interaction. Our results strongly …