Researchers developing 2-D materials similar to grapheneChemists are working to synthesize the next

Researchers developing 2-D materials similar to graphene

Chemists are working to synthesize the next generation of super materials for high-performance electronics, solar cells, photodetectors and quantum computers. While they have made progress with compound materials, they have not yet succeeded in developing unaltered or “freestanding” materials for such devices, according to a review published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Graphene is a carbon material derived from graphite, the same type of material found in pencils, but it is arranged in a one-atom-thin honeycomb lattice. Discovered in 2004, graphene’s two-dimensional arrangement gives it “extraordinary” properties, including extreme strength and “marvelously high” electron conductivity.

However, the tight lattice lacks a semiconducting bandgap, which is essential for electronic devices. Therefore, scientists have been hunting for alternative materials that have bandgaps, but still have a graphene-like structure.

Much focus has been placed on graphene quantum dots, which are small segments of graphene, about 10 to 100 nm carbon hexagons across and less than 30 atomic sheets thick. To make the dots behave more like 2-D graphene, research teams have added other molecules to change the structure and function of the material.

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