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Updated: May 30, 2026
11:42
Fabrication of Gate-tunable Graphene Devices for Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Studies with Coulomb Impurities
Published on: July 24, 2015
Gradual changes in electronic properties from graphene to graphite: first-principles calculations
A Z Alzahrani1, G P Srivastava
1School of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK.
Summary
This study reveals how electronic properties evolve in graphene and graphite. We quantified changes in Fermi surface topology and charge carrier effective masses as layer count increases.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Materials science
- Computational physics
Background:
- Graphene and graphite exhibit unique electronic properties crucial for next-generation electronics.
- Understanding the electronic band structure evolution is key to tailoring material performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the electronic properties of few-layer and multilayer systems.
- To quantify the evolution of electronic band structure and Fermi surface topology.
- To analyze changes in charge carrier effective masses and velocities.
Main Methods:
- First-principles calculations using the pseudopotential plane-wave method.
- Density functional theory (DFT) applied to graphene, bilayer graphene, multilayer graphene, and graphite.
- Analysis of electronic band structure near the Fermi level.
Main Results:
- Quantified gradual changes in Fermi surface topology from point-like (graphene) to warped triangular (graphite).
- Observed systematic evolution of electron and hole effective masses and velocities with increasing layer number.
- Detailed electronic band structure analysis provided insights into material transitions.
Conclusions:
- The electronic properties of graphene-based systems show a continuous evolution with increasing layer count.
- Effective mass and Fermi surface topology changes are predictable as systems transition from monolayer graphene to bulk graphite.
- These findings are vital for designing novel electronic devices based on layered carbon materials.
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