Domain-Dependent Surface Adhesion in Twisted Few-Layer Graphene: Platform for Moiré-Assisted Chemistry

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 23; no. 8; pp. 3137 - 3143
• Main Authors: Hsieh, Valerie, Halbertal, Dorri, Finney, Nathan R., Zhu, Ziyan, Gerber, Eli, Pizzochero, Michele, Kucukbenli, Emine, Schleder, Gabriel R., Angeli, Mattia, Watanabe, Kenji, Taniguchi, Takashi, Kim, Eun-Ah, Kaxiras, Efthimios, Hone, James, Dean, Cory R., Basov, D. N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 26.04.2023
• Subjects: INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; lattices; metals; nanoengineering; nanoparticles; rhombohedral and Bernal stacking domains; surface chemistry; surface interactions; twisted graphene moire; two dimensional materials; rhombohedral and Bernal stacking domains; nanoengineering; surface chemistry; twisted graphene moiré; twisted graphene moiré
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c04137

Twisted van der Waals multilayers are widely regarded as a rich platform to access novel electronic phases thanks to the multiple degrees of freedom available for controlling their electronic and chemical properties. Here, we propose that the stacking domains that form naturally due to the relative twist between successive layers act as an additional ”knob” for controlling the behavior of these systems and report the emergence and engineering of stacking domain-dependent surface chemistry in twisted few-layer graphene. Using mid-infrared near-field optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy, we observe a selective adhesion of metallic nanoparticles and liquid water at the domains with rhombohedral stacking configurations of minimally twisted double bi- and trilayer graphene. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the manipulation of nanoparticles located at certain stacking domains can locally reconfigure the moiré superlattice in their vicinity at the micrometer scale. Our findings establish a new approach to controlling moiré-assisted chemistry and nanoengineering.