14 DAY TRIAL // Investigators with the Center for Nanoscale Materials EMMD Group and the Northwestern University have demonstrated in a new study that the one-atom-thick carbon compound called graphene can be successfully grown on a silver substrate. This is the first time this capability has been shown to be possible.
Interestingly, the team was also able to discover an interesting phenomenon occurring at the edges of the graphene sheets, where electrons were scattering away from the material in wave-like patterns. These emissions will need to be characterized in a different study, the team says.
This research could bring graphene-based circuits and electronics a step closer to reality, because it provides a framework for scientists to study methods of coupling this amazing compound with other 2D materials. Graphene was first obtained in 2004, but it made the subject of nearly 4,000 papers to date.
The reason why such high interest exists in graphene is that the material features remarkable physical and chemical properties. It is one of the strongest materials ever obtained and has a remarkable, hexagonal structure of pure carbon atoms, Technology reports.