Controlling the transport gap of wedge-shaped graphene nanoconstriction by strain.

Abstract: The Landauer transport theory is used to study the electron transmission of wedge-shaped graphene nanoconstrictions (WGNCs) under transverse strain. It is found that WGNCs have a transport gap decreasingly dependent on the strain. Further analysis shows that the strain dependence of the transport gap origins from the sensitiveness of confined states to strain. And on this basis, an analytical formula of the transport gap as a function of transverse strain is obtained confirming the numerical results. Our results suggest that WGNCs can be useful for the future graphene-based nanoelectromechanics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]