Graphene nanoribbons on hexagonal boron nitride: Deposition and transport characterization

Chemically synthesized “cove”-type graphene nanoribbons (cGNRs) of different widths were brought into dispersion and drop-cast onto exfoliated hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) on a Si/SiO₂ chip. Using AFM, we observed that the cGNRs form ordered domains aligned along the crystallographic axes of the hBN. Using electron beam lithography and metallization, we contacted the cGNRs with NiCr/Au or Pd contacts and measured their I-V characteristics. The transport through the ribbons was dominated by the Schottky behavior of the contacts between the metal and the ribbon.