Graphene is one of the most recently-discovered materials in the scientific community, at the tender age of 5 years old. In spite of only being discovered in 2004, it is already considered to be one of the possible replacements for silicon, the chemical that at this point provides the basis for the world of electronics generally, and computer chips especially. A large number of the amazing properties that graphene has are owed to its hexagonal, honeycomb-like structure. Now, experts at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA) managed to replicate the structure inside a polymer, in an achievement they hope will see the creation of a new material.

The synthesis and characterization of two-dimensional graphene-like polymers is a goal that main research groups around the world are chasing at this point, precisely because the resulting materials could impart some of the electronic properties that graphene has. The carbon compound is extremely resistant to tear and damage, and also allows for electricity to flow through it unimpeded. To get an idea of how just popular this field of research is today, consider the fact that Dutch physicist Andre Geim was awarded the Korber European Science Award in 2009, for pioneering research into two-dimensional carbon crystals.

The Swiss team did not come to this achievement all on its own. German colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, in Mainz, also contributed to the investigation. To achieve the well defined pores that made the new material a success, the joint team had to devise a way of allowing for the chemical building blocks of functionalized phenyl rings (the polymer) to “grow” spontaneously into a two-dimensional structure on a silver substrate. The new material had a pore diameter of a single atom, and the distance between the pores of less than a nanometer. Matthias Treier, one of the leaders of the research, was awarded the Empa Research Award 2009 for the achievement.

In future organic electronic devices, materials such as polymer will play the most important part. Although these devices are still a few years away from mass-production, the new accomplishment paves the way for the creation of specifically-tailored materials, contributing significantly to the development of the industry. The ability to create organic materials according to specifications will make this field of research bloom, the EMPA team believes.