Patterning Graphene with Zigzag Edges by Self-Aligned Anisotropic Etching

A top-down approach for controlled tailoring of graphene nanostructures with zigzag edges is presented. It consists of two key steps: artificial defect patterning and hydrogen-plasma etching. With this approach, various graphene nanostructures with sub-10 nm features and identical zigzag edges are reliably achieved. This approach shows great promise for making future graphene devices or circuits.