On-surface synthesis of graphene nanoribbons could advance quantum devices

Nanowerk  October 26, 2020
The lack of atomic-scale precision in using current state-of-the-art “top-down” synthetic methods — cutting a graphene sheet into atom-narrow strips – stymie graphene’s practical use. An international team of researchers (USA – Oak Ridge National Laboratory, The University of Tennessee, Poland, Luxembourg) has developed a “bottom-up” approach — building the graphene nanoribbon directly at the atomic level in such a way that it can be used in specific applications. The nanoribbons were synthesized on the surface of rutile titanium dioxide that assisted the cyclode-hydrofluorination of specifically designed precursor molecules through a series of thermally triggered transformations. The reactions needed to obtain certain properties were programmed into the precursor. As the temperature at which a reaction will occur is known the sequence of reactions can be controlled by tuning the temperatures. The approach creates a high-precision ribbon, decoupled from the substrate, which is desirable for spintronic and quantum information science applications…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE

…The lighter ends of the ribbon show magnetic states. The inset drawing shows how the ends have up and down spin, suitable for creating qubits. (Image: ORNL)

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