Electronic states at the graphene-hexagonal boron nitride zigzag interface.

Abstract

The electronic properties of graphene edges have been predicted to depend on their crystallographic orientation. The so-called zigzag (ZZ) edges haven been extensively explored theoretically and proposed for various electronic applications. However, their experimental study remains challenging due to the difficulty in realizing clean ZZ edges without disorder, reconstructions, or the presence of chemical functional groups. Here, we propose the ZZ-terminated, atomically sharp interfaces between graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (BN) as experimentally realizable, chemically stable model systems for graphene ZZ edges. Combining scanning tunneling microscopy and numerical methods, we explore the structure of graphene-BN interfaces and show them to host localized electronic states similar to those on the pristine graphene ZZ edge.