Rice-led researchers calculate electrical properties of
carbon cones, other shapes
(June 30, 2015) Flexing graphene may be the most basic way
to control its electrical properties, according to calculations by theoretical
physicists at Rice University and in Russia.
The Rice lab of Boris Yakobson in collaboration with
researchers in Moscow found the effect is pronounced and predictable in
nanocones and should apply equally to other forms of graphene.
The researchers discovered it may be possible to access what
they call an electronic flexoelectric effect in which the electronic properties
of a sheet of graphene can be manipulated simply by twisting it a certain way.
The work will be of interest to those considering graphene
elements in flexible touchscreens or memories that store bits by controlling
electric dipole moments of carbon atoms, the researchers said.