Anomalous one-dimensional quantum confinement effect in graphene nanowrinkle

Abstract

A theoretical principle for explaining the peculiarity in “edge-free” wrinkled graphene has not been firmly established. Herein, we perform DFT calculations to verify the graphene nanowrinkle (GNW) feature on metal as a model system based on experimental observation. We unveil that the interfacial interaction between the graphene and the substrate plays a crucial role in leading to quantum confinement. The longitudinal direction and the effective confined length were investigated as key parameters to control the electronic structure of graphene by corrugation engineering. A series of standing waves corresponding to the “particle in a box” model was also confirmed by the charge densities of GNW.