Electronic band structures of graphene nanomeshes

Graphene nanomesh (GNM) is a highly interconnected network of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) in which the size of nanoholes and the distance between them can be controlled down to the sub-10 nm scale [1]. GNM can open up a band gap in a large sheet of graphene to creat a semiconducting thin film. Actually, it was demonstrated that GNM-based transistors provide driving currents nearly 100 times greater than individual GNR devices, with a comparable on-off current ratio [1]. Furthermore, for practical use, GNM lattices should be much easier to produce and handle than GNRs. Therefore, the GNMs with variable periodicity and neck width are expected to offer a possibility of band gap engineering and graphene electronic applications [2]. In this study, we investigate the electronic band structures of GNMs with various geometric configurations based on a tight-binding approach [3], and examine the roles of the edge formation and neck width on the band gap opening.