Journal Article

Strain-Induced Pseudo-Magnetic Fields Greater Than 300 Tesla in Graphene Nanobubbles

Guinea, F, Crommie, M.F, Burke, S.A, Neto, A.H. Castro, Levy, N, Zettl, A, Panlasigui, M, Meaker, K.L

2010

Overview

Recent theoretical proposals suggest that strain can be used to engineer graphene electronic states through the creation of a pseudo-magnetic field. This effect is unique to graphene because of its massless Dirac fermion-like band structure and particular lattice symmetry (C₃v). Here, we present experimental spectroscopic measurements by scanning tunneling microscopy of highly strained nanobubbles that form when graphene is grown on a platinum (111) surface. The nanobubbles exhibit Landau levels that form in the presence of strain-induced pseudo-magnetic fields greater than 300 tesla. This demonstration of enormous pseudo-magnetic fields opens the door to both the study of charge carriers in previously inaccessible high magnetic field regimes and deliberate mechanical control over electronic structure in graphene or so-called \"strain engineering.\"

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Charge carriers / Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties / Doors / Electronic structure / Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures / Electronic structure of nanoscale materials : clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanocrystals / Electronics engineering / engineering / Exact sciences and technology / Graphene / Magnetic fields / Materials science / Mechanical control / nanobubbles / Nanocomposites / Nanomaterials / Nanostructure / Nanotechnology / Nuclear spin / Physics / platinum / Proposals / scanning tunneling microscopy / spectral analysis / Spectrum analysis / Strain / Symmetry