On the microscopic origin of bending of graphenenanoribbons in the presence of a perpendicular electric field

Abstract

Herein, we predict that graphene nanoribbons will be nonplanar under the influence of a critical perpendicular field. Our investigation demonstrates that the perpendicular field induces mixing of σ and π orbitals in graphene nanoribbons through the second order Stark effect which eventually modulates the electron–nuclear interaction strongly in favor of a bent structure.