Sensitivity to strains and defects for manipulating the conductivity of graphene
Ihor Sahalianov, Taras M. Radchenko, V. A. Tatarenko, Gianaurelio Cuniberti
Abstract
Abstract Implementing the quantum-mechanical Kubo-Greenwood formalism for the numerical calculation of dc conductivity, we demonstrate that the electron transport properties of a graphene layer can be tailored through the combined effect of defects (point and line scatterers) and strains (uniaxial tension and shear), which are commonly present in a graphene sample due to the features of its growth procedure and when the sample is used in devices. Motivated by two experimental works ( He X. et al . Appl. Phys. Lett., 104 (2014) 243108; 105 (2014) 083108), where authors did not observe the transport gap even at large (22.5% of tensile and 16.7% of shear) deformations, we explain possible reasons, emphasizing on graphene's strain and defect sensing. The strain- and defect-induced electron-hole asymmetry and anisotropy of conductivity, and its nonmonotony as a function of deformation suggest perspectives for the strain-defect engineering of electrotransport properties of graphene and related 2D materials.