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Barrier to faster graphene devices identified and suppressed

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have identified a major barrier to faster graphene devices, finding that charged impurities on the surface of graphene scatter electrons. By using electrically neutral liquids, they achieved record-levels of room-temperature electron mobility, three times greater than previous graphene-based devices.

SourceVanderbilt University·JournalNature Communications·DateMar 13, 2012

A step toward better electronics

Researchers at Northwestern University have created a new method to oxidize graphene, overcoming the material's zero band-gap issue. The reversible oxidation process enables tunability of electronic properties, paving the way for high-performance applications.

SourceNorthwestern University·JournalNature Chemistry·DateFeb 19, 2012

Water sees right through graphene

A new study reveals graphene's ability to enhance conductivity while retaining wetting characteristics, making it a promising coating for various applications. The research found that gold, copper, and silicon get just as wet when clad by a single layer of graphene as they would without.

SourceRice University·JournalNature Materials·DateJan 23, 2012

Flaky graphene makes reliable chemical sensors

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Dioxide Materials have developed a chemical sensor using randomly stacked graphene flakes. The thin films of flaky graphene outperformed previous sensors made from carbon nanotubes or graphene crystals, detecting trace amounts of test chemicals with high reliability.

SourceAmerican Institute of Physics·JournalApplied Physics Letters·DateJan 17, 2012

Graphene quantum dots: The next big small thing

A Rice University-led team discovered a one-step chemical process to create graphene quantum dots from carbon fiber. The sub-5 nanometer carbon-based quantum dots are highly soluble and have controllable size, with potential for biomedical imaging, protein analysis, and cell tracking.

SourceRice University·JournalNano Letters·DateJan 12, 2012

Hydrogen advances graphene use

Researchers at Linköping University found that hydrogen renders graphene more useful by making its atomic van der Waals forces repulsive, allowing sheets to float freely apart. This discovery has several potential applications, including storage of hydrogen as vehicle fuel and manufacture of friction-free components on a Nano scale.

SourceLinköping University·JournalPhysical Review A·DateJan 12, 2012

Keeping electronics cool

Researchers at UC Riverside have made a significant discovery in graphene's thermal conductivity, showing that isotopically engineered graphene can conduct heat more efficiently than natural graphene. This finding has the potential to impact various applications, including electronics, photovoltaic solar cells and radars.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalNature Materials·DateJan 9, 2012

Graphene rips follow rules

Research from Rice University and UC Berkeley reveals graphene tears along energetically favorable lines, creating desirable edges. The study suggests a new way to control graphene's electrical properties by manipulating its edges.

SourceRice University·JournalNano Letters·DateJan 5, 2012

Graphene's piezoelectric promise

Engineers created graphene's pseudo-piezoelectric behavior by punching triangle-shaped holes into it, producing strong piezoelectricity comparable to well-known substances like quartz. The results have the potential to open new avenues for graphene and applications relying on piezoelectricity.

SourceAmerican Institute of Physics·JournalApplied Physics Letters·DateJan 5, 2012

How long do electrons live in graphene?

Researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf have measured the lifetime of electrons in graphene in lower energy ranges. The study reveals that the energy of light particles and atomic lattice oscillations influence electron lifetimes, with longer lifetimes observed when excitation energies are lower than lattice oscillations.

SourceHelmholtz Association·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateDec 12, 2011

Graphene lights up with new possibilities

Researchers at Rice University developed a two-step method to attach organic molecules to pristine graphene, making it suitable for various new applications. This breakthrough enables advances in chemical sensors, thermoelectric devices, and metamaterials.

SourceRice University·JournalNature Communications·DateNov 29, 2011

Graphene earns its stripes

Researchers at University College London discovered electronic stripes on graphene sheets, a finding that could revolutionize the exploitation of this material. The discovery was made using a scanning tunneling microscope and found that extra electrons arrange themselves into nanometer-scale stripes spontaneously.

SourceUniversity College London·JournalNature Communications·DateNov 29, 2011

Better batteries

Researchers at Northwestern University have created an electrode that allows lithium-ion batteries to hold a charge up to 10 times greater than current technology. The new technology can also charge 10 times faster, paving the way for more efficient and smaller batteries for electric cars.

SourceNorthwestern University·JournalAdvanced Energy Materials·DateNov 14, 2011

Giant flakes make graphene oxide gel

Researchers at Rice University have made a groundbreaking discovery by creating giant flakes of graphene oxide that form a gel-like liquid crystal in water. This alignment enables the creation of metamaterials with unique mechanical and electronic properties, as well as high-strength fibers with enhanced properties.

SourceRice University·JournalSoft Matter·DateOct 20, 2011

Redefining the kilogram and the ampere

Scientists have made precise measurements of the quantum Hall effect in graphene, supporting the redefinition of the kilogram and ampere. This breakthrough aims to establish a universal and stable definition for these fundamental constants, linking them to natural quantities.

SourceNational Physical Laboratory·JournalNew Journal of Physics·DateSep 29, 2011

Controlling silicon evaporation allows scientists to boost graphene quality

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a method to control silicon evaporation, allowing for the growth of high-quality layers of epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide wafers. This technique enables the production of uniform and high-quality graphene layers, which is essential for electronic device applications.

SourceGeorgia Institute of Technology·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateSep 22, 2011

New hybrid carbon material discovered

The discovery of GNR@SWNTs opens up potential applications in electronics, optoelectronics, and energy storage. Researchers have found that the shape of encapsulated graphene nanoribbons can be modified by different polyaromatic hydrocarbon molecules, allowing for metallic or semiconductor properties.

SourceAalto University·JournalNano Letters·DateSep 21, 2011

Dream screens from graphene

Researchers at Rice University have created a hybrid graphene film that combines conductivity and transparency, potentially replacing indium tin oxide as a transparent conductive coating in displays. The material outperforms ITO in terms of transparency and conductivity, and is environmentally stable.

SourceRice University·JournalACS Nano·DateAug 1, 2011