(a) One unit cell of the perovskite structure. A RE ion, located at the center of the cube, has been omitted for clarity. (b) Bilayer of NdNiO3 sandwiched between layers of dielectric LaAlO3 along the pseudocubic [111] direction. (c) Schematic of a (111) bilayer that forms a buckled honeycomb lattice. The Ni atoms on the individual (111) plane are highlighted by thin and thick red circles, respectively. (d) HAADF-STEM image of the [ 2NdNiO3/4LaAlO3 ]x3 superlattice, grown on LaAlO3 (111) substrate.
“We’ve basically created the first artificial graphene-like structure with transition metal atoms in place of carbon atoms,” said Jak Chakhalian, professor of physics and director of the Artificial Quantum Materials Laboratory at the U of A.
Graphene, discovered in 2001, is a 1-atom-thick sheet of graphite. Graphene transistors are predicted to be substantially faster and more heat tolerant than today’s silicon transistors and may result in more efficient computers and the next-generation of flexible electronics. Its discoverers were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2010. “This discovery gives us the ability to create graphene-like structures for many other elements,” said Srimanta Middey, a postdoctoral research associate at the U of A who led the study.
http://news.uark.edu/articles/33478
http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.056801
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