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Advanced Experimental Methods for Low-temperature Magnetotransport Measurement of Novel Materials
Published on: January 21, 2016
Edge effect on resistance scaling rules in graphene nanostructures
Guangyu Xu1, Carlos M Torres, Jianshi Tang
1Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California at Los Angeles , Los Angeles, California 90095, United States. guangyu@ee.ucla.edu
Nano Letters
|February 17, 2011
Summary
The edge effect significantly impacts room-temperature transport in single-layer graphene nanoribbons, causing strong localization. This effect diminishes with wider ribbons, lower carrier densities, or bilayer graphene.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Materials science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Graphene nanoribbons exhibit unique electronic properties influenced by their dimensions.
- Understanding transport phenomena in low-dimensional materials is crucial for electronic device applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the influence of edge effects on the transport properties of graphene nanoribbons and sheets at room temperature.
- To identify factors that mitigate the edge effect in graphene nanoribbons.
Main Methods:
- Resistance scaling measurements at varying carrier densities (low and high).
- Comparative analysis of single-layer and bilayer graphene nanoribbons and sheets.
- Examination of transport regimes as a function of ribbon width and carrier density.
Main Results:
- Single-layer graphene nanoribbons exhibit transport in a strong localization regime due to edge effects.
- Edge effects are weakened by increasing ribbon width, decreasing carrier density, or using bilayer graphene.
- A dimensional crossover in transport regimes is observed when transitioning from nanoribbons to sheets.
Conclusions:
- Edge effects play a critical role in the transport properties of graphene nanoribbons.
- Strategies exist to control and minimize edge effects for improved graphene device performance.
- The transition from 1D nanoribbons to 2D sheets signifies a change in dominant transport mechanisms.

