Current Vortices in graphene-based quantum dots: effects of curvatures and electron-electron interactions

Carbon-based structures such as nanotubes and, more recently, graphene, have attracted significant attention from the scientific community, both for their fundamental interest and potential applications in photonics and electronics. Graphene, in particular, has extraordinary strength and exceptional electrical and thermal transport properties. Recently, curved graphene-based nanostructures have shown great promise for advancing new technologies. Understanding how curvature affects their electronic properties is crucial. Here, we study the behavior of current vortices of a graphene nanoflake under different curvatures. Our method combines a tight-binding model with π-Orbital Axis Vector (POAV) theory, non-equilibrium Green’s function, and a molecular orbital description. We outline the necessary conditions for the emergence of these currents, and also assess their robustness against lattice defects¹ and electron-electron interactions which lead to the presence of incoherent currents².

¹Eudes Gomes and Fernando Moraes, Phys. Rev. B 104, 165408

²Washington F dos Santos et al 2025 Nanotechnology 36 025201