'Bite' defects revealed in bottom-up graphene nanoribbons

Collaboration between two NCCR MARVEL labs has identified a new type of defect as the most common source of disorder in on-surface synthesized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). The researchers identified the atomic structure of these "bite" defects and investigated their effect on quantum electronic transport in two different types of GNR. They also established guidelines for minimizing the detrimental impact of these defects and proposed defective zigzag-edged nanoribbons as suitable platforms for certain applications in spintronics.