The miracle material graphene: convex as a chesterfield
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy shows the regular corrugation pattern of graphene over clusters of gold. © HZB
A typical Chesterfield pattern. ( © mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Petr Kratochvil
Graphene possesses extreme properties and can be utilised in many ways. Even the spins of graphene can be controlled through use of a trick. This had already been demonstrated by a HZB team some time ago: the physicists applied a layer of graphene onto a nickel substrate and introduced atoms of gold in between (intercalation). The scientists now show why this has such a dramatic influence on the spins in a paper published in 2D Materials. As a result, graphene can also be considered as a material for future information technologies that are based on processing spins as units of information.
Graphene is probably the most exotic form of carbon: all of the atoms are bound to one another solely in a plane (monolayer), forming a matrix of hexagons like a honeycomb. Graphene is strictly two-dimensional, therefore infinitely thin, extremely conductive, perfectly transparent, and quite strong. In addition, this miracle material possesses other interesting properties related to its structure.
For example, the spins (tiny magnetic moments) of the conduction electrons surprisingly can be extremely well controlled. If you apply a layer of graphene to a nickel substrate and shove atoms of gold in between, then what is known as the spin-orbit interaction dramatically rises by a factor of 10,000, allowing the orientation of the spins to be influenced by external fields.
Physicists working with Dr. Andrei Varykhalov at the HZB had already demonstrated several times that this works. However, it was not clear why the presence of the atoms of gold has such a strong effect on the spin splitting behaviour in graphene.
“We wanted to discover how it happens that the high spin-orbit interaction, which is characteristic of gold, is transferred over to graphene”, says Varykhalov. The physicists show in the work recently published that the atoms of gold are not distributed completely uniformly in the interlayer, but instead are located on the nickel substrate in small groups or clusters. These gold clusters in turn form a regular pattern beneath the graphene. Between these clusters nickel atoms remain uncovered by gold. Graphene binds strongly to the nickel, arching over the gold clusters. “It looks almost like a bolster of material on a chesterfield sofa”, explains Varykhalov. “At the points where the gold and carbon come into close contact, we observed an extremely strong spin-orbit interaction arise. This result was supported by scanning tunnelling microscopy, and analyses using density functional theory.”
To the publication:
2D Materials, Vol.4, Nr3 (2017): "Nanostructural origin of giant Rashba effect in intercalated graphene". M Krivenkov, E Golias, D Marchenko, J Sánchez-Barriga, G Bihlmayer, O Rader and A Varykhalov.
Doi: 10.1088/2053-1583/aa7ad8
- Peat as a sustainable precursor for fuel cell catalyst materialsIron-nitrogen-carbon catalysts have the potential to replace the more expensive platinum catalysts currently used in fuel cells. This is shown by a study conducted by researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and universities in Tartu and Tallinn, Estonia. At BESSY II, the team observed the formation of complex microstructures within various samples. They then analysed which structural parameters were particularly important for fostering the preferred electrochemical reactions. The raw material for such catalysts is well decomposed peat.
- Helmholtz Investigator Group on magnonsDr Hebatalla Elnaggar is setting up a new Helmholtz Investigator Group at HZB. At BESSY II, the materials scientist will investigate so-called magnons in magnetic perovskite thin films. The aim is to lay the foundations for future terahertz magnon technology: magnonic devices operating in the terahertz range could process data using a fraction of the energy required by the most advanced semiconductor devices, and at speeds up to a thousand times faster.
- The future of corals – what X-rays can tell usThis summer, it was all over the media. Driven by the climate crisis, the oceans have now also passed a critical point, the absorption of CO2 is making the oceans increasingly acidic. The shells of certain sea snails are already showing the first signs of damage. But also the skeleton structures of coral reefs are deteriorating in more acidic conditions. This is especially concerning given that corals are already suffering from marine heatwaves and pollution, which are leading to bleaching and finally to the death of entire reefs worldwide. But how exactly does ocean acidification affect reef structures?
Prof. Dr. Tali Mass, a marine biologist from the University of Haifa, Israel, is an expert on stony corals. Together with Prof. Dr. Paul Zaslansky, X-ray imaging expert from Charité Berlin, she investigated at BESSY II the skeleton formation in baby corals, raised under different pH conditions. Antonia Rötger spoke online with the two experts about the results of their recent study and the future of coral reefs.