Graphene wrinkle effects on molecular resonance statesGraphene wrinkle effects on molecular resonance states, Published online: 28 March 2018; doi:10.1038/s41699-018-0053-7The morphology of out-of-plane wrinkles in graphene determines the molecular growth and electronic structure of adsorbed pentacene molecules. A team led by Peter Nirmalraj at IBM Research (Zurich) performed a combined experimental and theoretical study on the interplay between the ubiquitous corrugations naturally present in graphene and the structure and electronic properties of pentacene molecular superstructures. The atomic scale wrinkle landscape was found to trigger substantial variations in molecular growth, along with pronounced electronic decoupling of pentacene adsorbed on wrinkles. This is in contrast to the behavior of pentacene on flat graphene, which featured broadened molecular energy levels owing to electronic interaction with the underlying substrate. These results may facilitate the understanding of interfacial effects between graphene and molecules and pave the way to improved design of nanoscale molecular electronic devices.
Published in: "NPJ 2D Materials and Applications".