We present a multiscale ab initio study of electronic and transport properties of two-dimensional graphene after epoxide functionalization via ozone treatment. The orbital rehybridization induced by the epoxide groups triggers a strong intervalley scattering and changes dramatically the conduction properties of graphene. By varying the coverage density of epoxide defects from 0.1 to 4%, charge conduction can be tuned from a diffusive to a strongly localized regime, with localization lengths down to a few nanometers long. Experimental results supporting the interpretation as a metal-insulator transition are also provided.
We present a magnetotransport study of graphene samples into which a mild disorder was introduced by exposure to ozone. Unlike the conductivity of pristine graphene, the conductivity of graphene samples exposed to ozone becomes very sensitive to temperature: it decreases by more than three orders of magnitude between 100 and 1 K. By varying either an external gate voltage or temperature, we continuously tune the transport properties from the weak to the strong localization regime. We show that the transition occurs as the phase coherence length becomes comparable to the localization length. We also highlight the important role of disorder-enhanced electron-electron interaction on the resistivity.
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