Long-Period Stacking Transitions in Intercalated Graphite

Abstract
A stacking transformation with unusual structural and thermal hysteresis is reported in stage-2 alkali-metal-intercalated graphites. A sequence of 1D higher-order commensurate phases appears to form a stepwise-continuous pathway between fcc and hcp intercalant structures as the temperature is increased. The presence of correlated impurities, in the form of disordered in-plane domain walls, can account for instabilities in the sequence of transitions in support of recent theories of long-period-modulated materials.