@article{Gao2019, 
author = {Chuang Gao and Lei Tao and Yu-Yang Zhang and Shixuan Du and Sokrates T. Pantelides and Juan Carlos Idrobo and Wu Zhou and Hong-Jun Gao},
title = {Spectroscopic signatures of edge states in hexagonal boron nitride},
year = {2019},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {12},
number = {7},
pages = {1663-1667},
keywords = {edge structure, h-BN, spectroscopic signatures, electron energy-loss near edge structure},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1007/s12274-019-2417-5},
doi = {10.1007/s12274-019-2417-5},
abstract = {We use Z-contrast imaging and atomically resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy on an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope to investigate the local electronic states of boron atoms at different edge structures in monolayer and bilayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). We find that edges with bonding unsaturated sp2 boron atoms have a unique spectroscopic signature with a prominent pre-peak at ~ 190.2 eV in the B K-edge fine structure. First-principles calculations reveal that the observed pre-peak arises from excitations to the in-plane lowest-energy empty sp2 boron dangling bonds at the B-terminated edge. This spectroscopic signature can serve as a fingerprint to explore new edge structures in h-BN.}
}