This thesis presents the first systematic electron transport investigation of rhombohedral graphite (RG) films and thus lies at the interface of graphene physics, vdW heterostructure devices and topological matter. Electron transport investigation into the rhombohedral phase of graphite was limited to a few layers of graphene due to the competing hexagonal phase being more abundant. This work reports that in exfoliated natural graphite films, rhombohedral domains of up to 50 layers can be found. In the low energy limit, these domains behave as an N-layer generalisation of graphene. Moreover, being a potential alternative to twisted bilayer graphene systems, RG films show a spontaneous metal-insulator transition, with characteristic symmetry properties that could be described by mean-field theory where superconductivity is also predicted in these low energy bands. A nodal-line semimetal in the bulk limit, RG thin films are a 3D generalisation of the simplest topological insulator model: the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain. Similar to the more usual topological insulators, RG films exhibit parallel conduction of bulk states, which undergo three-dimensional quantum transport that reflects bulk topology.

This thesis presents the first systematic electron transport investigation of rhombohedral graphite (RG) films and thus lies at the interface of graphene physics, vdW heterostructure devices and topological matter. Electron transport investigation into the rhombohedral phase of graphite was limited to a few layers of graphene due to the competing hexagonal phase being more abundant. This work reports that in exfoliated natural graphite films, rhombohedral domains of up to 50 layers can be found. In the low energy limit, these domains behave as an N-layer generalisation of graphene. Moreover, being a potential alternative to twisted bilayer graphene systems, RG films show a spontaneous metal-insulator transition, with characteristic symmetry properties that could be described by mean-field theory where superconductivity is also predicted in these low energy bands. A nodal-line semimetal in the bulk limit, RG thin films are a 3D generalisation of the simplest topological insulator model: the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain. Similar to the more usual topological insulators, RG films exhibit parallel conduction of bulk states, which undergo three-dimensional quantum transport that reflects bulk topology.

This book provides an overview of electronic and optical properties of graphite-related systems. It presents a well-developed and up-to-date theoretical model and addresses important advances in essential properties and diverse quantization phenomena. Key features include various Hamiltonian models, dimension-enriched carbon-related systems, complete and unusual results, detailed comparisons with the experimental measurements, clear physical pictures, and further generalizations to other emergent 2D materials. It also covers potential applications, such as touch-screen panel devices, FETs, supercapacitors, sensors, LEDs, solar cells, photodetectors, and photomodulators.

Due to its physical, chemical, and material properties, graphene has been widely studied both theoretically and experimentally since it was first synthesized in 2004. This book explores in detail the most up-to-date research in graphene-related systems, including few-layer graphene, sliding bilayer graphene, rippled graphene, carbon nanotubes, and adatom-doped graphene, among others. It focuses on the structure-, stacking-, layer-, orbital-, spin- and adatom-dependent essential properties, in which single- and multi-orbital chemical bondings can account for diverse phenomena. Geometric and Electronic Properties of Graphene-Related Systems: Chemical Bonding Schemes is excellent for graduate students and researchers, but understandable to undergraduates. The detailed theoretical framework developed in this book can be used in the future characterization of emergent materials.

This book provides insights into the mechanisms of primary carbonization, discusses changes in the thermal-mechanical properties of carbon/carbon composites due to stress effects. It describes factors that result in the acceleration of the graphitization process.

This book explores the fundamental properties of a wide range of energy storage and conversion materials, covering mainstream theoretical and experimental studies and their applications in green energy. It presents a thorough investigation of diverse physical, chemical, and material properties of rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, solar cells, and fuel cells, covering the development of theoretical simulations, machine learning, high-resolution experimental measurements, and excellent device performance. Covers potential energy storage (rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors) and energy conversion (solar cells and fuel cells) materials Develops theoretical predictions and experimental observations under a unified quasi-particle framework Illustrates up-to-date calculation results and experimental measurements Describes successful synthesis, fabrication, and measurements, as well as potential applications and near-future challenges Promoting a deep understanding of basic science, application engineering, and commercial products, this work is appropriate for senior graduate students and researchers in materials, chemical, and energy engineering and related disciplines.

Graphene-like materials have attracted considerable interest in the fields of condensed-matter physics, chemistry, and materials science due to their interesting properties as well as the promise of a broad range of applications in energy storage, electronic, optoelectronic, and photonic devices.The contents present the diverse phenomena under development in the grand quasiparticle framework through the first-principles calculations. The critical mechanisms, the orbital hybridizations and spin configurations of graphene-like materials through the chemical adsorptions, intercalations, substitutions, decorations, and heterojunctions, are taken into account. Specifically, the hydrogen-, oxygen-, transition-metal- and rare-earth-dependent compounds are thoroughly explored for the unusual spin distributions. The developed theoretical framework yields concise physical, chemical, and material pictures. The delicate evaluations are thoroughly conducted on the optimal lattices, the atom- and spin-dominated energy bands, the orbital-dependent sub-envelope functions, the spatial charge distributions, the atom- orbital- and spin-projected density of states, the spin densities, the magnetic moments, and the rich optical excitations. All consistent quantities are successfully identified by the multi-orbital hybridizations in various chemical bonds and guest- and host-induced spin configurations.The scope of the book is sufficiently broad and deep in terms of the geometric, electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of 3D, 2D, 1D, and 0D graphene-like materials with different kinds of chemical modifications. How to evaluate and analyze the first-principles results is discussed in detail. The development of the theoretical framework, which can present the diversified physical, chemical, and material phenomena, is obviously illustrated for each unusual condensed-matter system. To achieve concise physical and chemical pictures, the direct and close combinations of the numerical simulations and the phenomenological models are made frequently available via thorough discussions. It provides an obvious strategy for the theoretical framework, very useful for science and engineering communities.