Issue 13, 2020

The closed-edge structure of graphite and the effect of electrostatic charging

Abstract

The properties of graphite, and of few-layer graphene, can be strongly influenced by the edge structure of the graphene planes, but there is still much that we do not understand about the geometry and stability of these edges. We present an experimental and theoretical study of the closed edges of graphite crystals, and of the effect of an electric field on their structure. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy is used to image the edge structure of fresh graphite and of graphite that has been exposed to an electric field, which experiences a separation of the graphene layers. Computer simulations based on density functional theory are used to rationalise and quantify the preference for the formation of multiple concentric loops at the edges. A model is also presented to explain how the application of an electric field leads to the separation of the folded edges.

Graphical abstract: The closed-edge structure of graphite and the effect of electrostatic charging

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Nov 2019
Accepted
13 Feb 2020
First published
24 Feb 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2020,10, 7994-8001

The closed-edge structure of graphite and the effect of electrostatic charging

V. Posligua, J. Bustamante, C. H. Zambrano, P. J. F. Harris and R. Grau-Crespo, RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 7994 DOI: 10.1039/C9RA09913A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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