Geometric and Electronic Structure of Closed Graphene Edges

We report theoretical and experimental results on single and multiple looped graphene sheets. Experimental images of stable closed-edge structures in few-layer graphene samples obtained by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) are compared with first-principles density functional theory calculations. We demonstrate that the electronic structure of a graphene nanoribbon is not significantly perturbed upon closing. By contrast, a significant modulation of the electronic structure is observed for closed-edge graphene structures deposited on a planar graphene substrate. This effect is due to an enhanced reactivity of the looped (coalesced) edges observed experimentally. The coexistence of different degrees of curvature in the graphene sheet induced by folding indicates that these materials could be used for surface chemistry engineering.