Influence of ion irradiation on temperature dependent electrical transport behavior of thin graphite flakes

In this article, the influence of ion irradiation on temperature dependent electrical transport characteristics of thin graphite flakes was investigated. Thin graphite flakes were exfoliated by mechanical exfoliation method. Scanning electron microscopy was used to study surface morphology of the graphite flakes. The resistance versus temperature studies revealed that the graphite flake not subjected to Ga⁺ ion-irradiation showed a perfect metallic behavior, while the graphite flake after ion-irradiation showed a semiconducting behavior. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of bare and ion-irradiated graphite flakes were investigated. The bare graphite flake showed an ohmic-type I-V characteristics representing metallic behavior, while the ion-irradiated graphite flake showed a non-linear type diode-like characteristics. The temperature-dependent conductance measurements of ion-irradiated graphite flake were also performed and discussed in detail. The effect of Ga⁺ ions on the electronic transport behavior of thin graphite flakes has been discussed based on the investigation results.