Diffusion of Carbon Nanoparticles Intercalated into Layered Materials

We have discovered a method using electron beam radiation, as found in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), to locally induce intercalation of carbon nanoparticles into the two dimensional layered materials. This technique can be used to form insulating and optically active nanostructures in samples ranging from graphite to BSCCO. In this study, we explore how these features evolve with time. we find that, over the course of days and weeks, the nanostructures created this way broaden and change height. In general, it appears that the nanoparticles respond to local strain and spread out to reduce their concentration in a given area. The process proceeds most rapidly in more defective crystal structures like TiS2 and most slowly in rigid oxides like BSCCO. We hope to utilize this work to determine the overall stability of these structures and their utility to form nanoscale devices like josephson tunnel juntcions.