Event Details

The fact that the 2D electron system in graphene is inherently unprotected from the environment is often detrimental: while the electron mobility is superior to most semiconductors, it is generally far lower than it could be due to scattering from extrinsic disorder. While this can be greatly improved by encapsulating graphene within layers of insulating material, there is on the other hand much interest in viewing the interactions between graphene's quasi-relativistic electrons and various surface adsorbates as an advantage. The question immediately arises: can the electronic structure of graphene be controllably altered? We are starting to explore the possibility of adatom-induced spin-orbit couplings in graphene in order to realize the original topological insulator predicted by Kane and Mele in 2005. Initial experiments on dilute coatings of indium atoms on graphene will be presented, as well as our current efforts with tungsten & osmium adatoms.