@article{Chen2018, 
author = {Hui Chen and Yande Que and Lei Tao and Yu-Yang Zhang and Xiao Lin and Wende Xiao and Dongfei Wang and Shixuan Du and Sokrates T. Pantelides and Hong-Jun Gao},
title = {Recovery of edge states of graphene nanoislands on an iridium substrate by silicon intercalation},
year = {2018},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {11},
number = {7},
pages = {3722-3729},
keywords = {density functional theory, scanning tunneling microscopy, graphene nanoisland, zigzag edge, edge state},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1007/s12274-017-1940-5},
doi = {10.1007/s12274-017-1940-5},
abstract = {Finite-sized graphene sheets, such as graphene nanoislands (GNIs), are promising candidates for practical applications in graphene-based nanoelectronics. GNIs with well-defined zigzag edges are predicted to have spin-polarized edge-states similar to those of zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbons, which can achieve graphene spintronics. However, it has been reported that GNIs on metal substrates have no edge states because of interactions with the substrate.We used a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations to demonstrate that the edge states of GNIs on an Ir substrate can be recovered by intercalating a layer of Si atoms between the GNIs and the substrate. We also found that the edge states gradually shift to the Fermi level with increasing island size. This work provides a method to investigate spin-polarized edge states in high-quality graphene nanostructures on a metal substrate.}
}