title: Graphene reknits its holes.
abstract: Nanoholes, etched under an electron beam at room temperature in single-layer graphene sheets as a result of their interaction with metal impurities, are shown to heal spontaneously by filling up with either nonhexagon, graphene-like, or perfect hexagon 2D structures. Scanning transmission electron microscopy was employed to capture the healing process and study atom-by-atom the regrown structure. A combination of these nanoscale etching and reknitting processes could lead to new graphene tailoring approaches.
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
authors: Recep
authors: R
authors: Zan
authors: Quentin M
authors: QM
authors: Ramasse
authors: Ursel
authors: U
authors: Bangert
authors: Konstantin S
authors: KS
authors: Novoselov