CAREER: Intrinsic Transport Properties of Graphene: Approaching the Elusive Ground State on Crystalline Substrates

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****NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT****Graphene, a single layer of graphite, possesses unique electronic properties important for both fundamental and applied nanoscale materials physics research. Charge carriers in graphene behave much like light. This unusual property of intrinsic disorder-free graphene can be exploited to explore the consequences of relativistic Quantum Electrodynamics on a chip, making graphene important for increasing our understanding of fundamental physics. The utility of graphene for electronic applications is demonstrated by the observed response of the charge carriers to an applied electric field (the field effect). Yet, because graphene is composed of only surface atoms, its intrinsic properties are sensitive to adsorbates and substrate-induced disorder. Adsorbate-induced disorder can now be eliminated, but so far substrate-induced disorder has not been controlled. Thus, the intrinsic properties of graphene remain unknown. This Faculty Early Career Award supports projects seeking to uncover the intrinsic properties of graphene and pave a way for the exploration of Quantum Electrodynamics by utilizing crystalline substrates. Such substrates are expected to eliminate substrate-induced disorder, and create ?perfect? graphene. The studies will also elucidate the intrinsic limitation of graphene-based devices. Thus, they have the potential to have a broad impact on electronic applications of graphene. The graduate and undergraduate students participating in, and supported by, this project will receive training in cutting-edge-interdisciplinary-nanoscience research. A course will be developed for upper-level undergraduates to bring the frontiers of nanoscience, particularly as exhibited by carbon nanostructures, to the classroom. The research program will also be integrated with development of extensive educational outreach activities for the general public. The outreach program will be tailored for students in grades 6-12, K-12 educators, and the local community with emphasis on underrepresented minorities from a diverse population represented in the Central Florida region. The outreach efforts will be designed to recruit, educate and train the next generation scientists and to increase the overall scientific literacy of the community.****TECHNICAL ABSTRACT****Graphene, a single layer of graphite, is a perfect two-dimensional semi-metallic electronic material, which possesses a linear dispersion and electron-hole symmetry with a vanishing density of electronic states at the Fermi level. This unusual band structure, akin to the light dispersion in free space, has inspired many theoretical proposals for testing the consequences of relativistic Quantum Electrodynamics using graphene. Yet, the extreme sensitivity of graphene to adsorbates and substrates has made made it impossible to perform experiments on intrinsic disorder-free graphene. While adsorbate-induced disorder can now be eliminated, substrate-induced disorder remains an issue. This Faculty Early Career Award supports projects that will pave the way for series of groundbreaking experiments, by enabling investigations of flat, atomically-clean graphene with minimal disorder using crystalline substrates. Intrinsic transport properties will be elucidated. The ability to access disorder-free graphene will be utilized as a broad foundation for exploring consequences of Quantum Electrodynamics with a high fine structure constant. The graduate and undergraduate students participating in this research will receive hands-on training in cutting-edge nanoscience techniques. A course will be developed for upper-level undergraduates to bring the frontiers of nanoscience to the classroom. The research program will be integrated with the development of extensive educational outreach activities for the general public. The outreach efforts will be designed to recruit, educate and train the next generation of scientists and to increase the overall scientific literacy of the community.