Radiation Response of Low Dimensional Carbon Systems
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abstract
The objective of this project is to understand the radiation response of low dimensional carbon systems including graphene monolayers, few-layer graphene, graphite and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The key focus is to study the effects of radiation on these materials considering their different dimensions, sizes and geometries. The project will focus on: (1) Swift ion irradiation in which electron excitation and electron-phonon interaction lead to local melting, allowing possible controllable CNT growth from exit craters of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. (2) Cluster ion irradiation (in which a single cluster may contain only a few atoms or as many as thousands of atoms) of well-separated graphene monolayers to study the effects of damage cascades on nanopore formations, with pore sizes depending on layer positions and cluster sizes. (3) Cluster ion irradiation of a stack of well-separated bilayer graphene in which pore edges of two neighboring graphene layers are “welded” to form different bonding structures for unique electronic properties. (4) Ion irradiation of stressed graphene to study effects of compressive and tensile stress on defect development. (5) Ion irradiation of twisted bilayer graphene in which misorientation angles are used to control periodic superlattice pattern formation with adjustable wavelengths, a process which holds the promise of inducing formation of periodic voids in a mask-free manner. The project will integrate experimental studies with molecular dynamics simulations to reveal the fundamentals of irradiation-induced structural evolution. The proposed study will aid in fundamental understanding of the radiation response of nanoscale materials. The acquired knowledge will impact development and technological exploitation of a wide range of carbon and non-carbon nanomaterials having a high surface to volume ratio, including nanomembranes, nanowires and fibers. In this study ion irradiation is not limited to introducing defects. With the use of unique combinations of various ion types and nanomaterials, this study provides new ways of materials modification to design and functionalize a wide range of nanomaterials-based structural components, microelectronics, sensors, and detectors.
