# Shear-strain-induced Spatially Varying Super-lattice Structures on Graphite studied by STM

Source: [Shear-strain-induced Spatially Varying Super-lattice Structures on Graphite studied by STM](<https://www.sota2.com/research/paper/68fa2d171e209131ce8563b7>)

Collection index: [llms.txt](<https://www.sota2.com/research/llms.txt>)

Data updated: 2025-10-28T13:53:20.471Z

Authors: S. K. Choudhary, A. K. Gupta

Published: 2007-04-27T17:22:27.000Z

## Abstract

We report on the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) observation of linear fringes together with spatially varying super-lattice structures on (0001) graphite (HOPG) surface. The structure, present in a region of a layer bounded by two straight carbon fibers, varies from a hexagonal lattice of 6nm periodicity to nearly a square lattice of 13nm periodicity. It then changes into a one-dimensional (1-D) fringe-like pattern before relaxing into a pattern-free region. We attribute this surface structure to a shear strain giving rise to a spatially varying rotation of the affected graphite layer relative to the bulk substrate. We propose a simple method to understand these moire patterns by looking at the fixed and rotated lattices in the Fourier transformed k-space. Using this approach we can reproduce the spatially varying 2-D lattice as well as the 1-D fringes by simulation. The 1-D fringes are found to result from a particular spatial dependence of the rotation angle.

## Recorded benchmark results

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## Original sources and implementation

[Original paper](<https://arxiv.org/abs/0704.3713>)

[PDF](<https://arxiv.org/pdf/0704.3713.pdf>)