One-dimensional moiré engineering in zigzag graphene nanoribbons on hBN

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Okumura, Ryosuke, Nakatsuji, Naoto, Kawakami, Takuto, Koshino, Mikito
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Okumura, Ryosuke
Nakatsuji, Naoto
Kawakami, Takuto
Koshino, Mikito
author_facet Okumura, Ryosuke
Nakatsuji, Naoto
Kawakami, Takuto
Koshino, Mikito
contents We study the structural relaxation and electronic properties of a one-dimensional (1D) moiré system composed of a zigzag graphene nanoribbon (GNR) placed on a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrate. Using an effective grid model derived from continuum elasticity theory, we calculate the relaxed atomic structure of the GNR/hBN system for various twist angles and ribbon widths. The relaxation gives rise to a characteristic 1D domain structure consisting of alternating commensurate AB$'$ regions and two distinct types of domain boundaries. At finite twist angles, the ribbon adopts a wavy shape, locally tracing the hBN zigzag direction but occasionally sliding to adjacent atomic rows. The resulting moiré potential strongly modulates the electronic structure: the zero-energy zigzag edge states are modulated by the local stacking, leading to densely packed subbands in the AB$'$ domains and sharply localized domain-wall states in the energy gaps between domain plateaus, which together realize gate-tunable one-dimensional arrays of quantum-confined electronic states. Our results demonstrate that moiré modulation in GNR/hBN heterostructures provides a versatile platform for electronic structure engineering and the design of 1D moiré nanodevices.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_21166
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle One-dimensional moiré engineering in zigzag graphene nanoribbons on hBN
Okumura, Ryosuke
Nakatsuji, Naoto
Kawakami, Takuto
Koshino, Mikito
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
We study the structural relaxation and electronic properties of a one-dimensional (1D) moiré system composed of a zigzag graphene nanoribbon (GNR) placed on a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrate. Using an effective grid model derived from continuum elasticity theory, we calculate the relaxed atomic structure of the GNR/hBN system for various twist angles and ribbon widths. The relaxation gives rise to a characteristic 1D domain structure consisting of alternating commensurate AB$'$ regions and two distinct types of domain boundaries. At finite twist angles, the ribbon adopts a wavy shape, locally tracing the hBN zigzag direction but occasionally sliding to adjacent atomic rows. The resulting moiré potential strongly modulates the electronic structure: the zero-energy zigzag edge states are modulated by the local stacking, leading to densely packed subbands in the AB$'$ domains and sharply localized domain-wall states in the energy gaps between domain plateaus, which together realize gate-tunable one-dimensional arrays of quantum-confined electronic states. Our results demonstrate that moiré modulation in GNR/hBN heterostructures provides a versatile platform for electronic structure engineering and the design of 1D moiré nanodevices.
title One-dimensional moiré engineering in zigzag graphene nanoribbons on hBN
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.21166