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Grafik: FAU/Frank Hauke
This is a section of a graphene network with chemically bound hydrogen atom: the spectral vibrational signature of the single carbon-carbon bonds adjacent to the bound hydrogen atom is highlighted in different colors.
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Two-dimensional graphene consists of single layers of carbon atoms and exhibits intriguing properties. The transparent material conducts electricity and heat extremely well. It is at the same time flexible and solid. Additionally, the electrical conductivity can be continuously varied between a metal and a semiconductor by, e.g., inserting chemically bound atoms and molecules into the graphene structure - the so-called functional groups. These unique properties offer a wide range of future applications as e.g. for new developments in optoelectronics or ultrafast components in the semiconductor industry. However, a successful use of graphene in the semiconductor industry can only be achieved if properties such as the conductivity, the size and the defects of the graphene structure induced by the functional groups can already be modulated during the synthesis of graphene.
In an international collaboration scientists led by Andreas Hirsch from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in close cooperation with Thomas Pichler from the University of Vienna accomplished a crucial breakthrough: using the latter's newly developed experimental set-up they were able to identify, for the first time, vibrational spectra as the specific fingerprints of step-by-step chemically modified graphene by means of light scattering. This spectral signature, which was also theoretically attested, allows to determine the type and the number of functional groups in a fast and precise way. Among the reactions they examined, was the chemical binding of hydrogen to graphene. This was implemented by a controlled chemical reaction between water and particular compounds in which ions are inserted in graphite, a crystalline form of carbon.
Additional benefits
"This method of the in-situ Raman spectroscopy is a highly effective technique which allows controlling the function of graphene in a fast, contact-free and extensive way already during the production of the material," says J. Chacon from Yachay Tech, one of the two lead authors of the study. This enables the production of tailored graphene-based materials with controlled electronic transport properties and their utilisation in semiconductor industry.
Nano-Rust: Smart Additive for Autonomous Temperature Control
The right temperature matters – whether in technical processes, for the quality of food and medicines, or the lifetime of electronic components and batteries. For this purpose, temperature indicators record (un)desired temperature increases that can be read out later. Researchers in the gro ... more
What do coffee, red wine and ink have in common? The stubborn stains they leave behind. Anyone who has ever knocked over a cup of coffee will know that coffee dries in an unusual pattern, the stain is lighter at the center but it gets darker around the perimeter, an effect known as the coff ... more
By capsule through the bloodstream
Bacteria in the intestine pack a wide spectrum of their biomolecules into small capsules. These are transported via the bloodstream to various organs in the body and even absorbed and processed by nerve cells in the brain. This has now been shown for the first time by a team of researchers ... more
Transfer of aroma compounds into breast milk
“We are what we eat.” In a way, this quote by the German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach (1804–1872) also applies to what we feed our offspring: the aroma profile of breast milk reflects a mother's eating habits [1, 2] and can thus influence the preferences of her children ... more
Colorful off-odors in artists’ paints
Acrylic-based paints are among the most frequently used by artists. Although they can be produced on a water basis and with low levels of volatile substances, they often still possess a strong inherent smell. However, no targeted studies have as yet been conducted to identify odor-active su ... more
New Trends in Computer-Aided Drug Design
Computer-Aided Drug design (CADD) is not new. The Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design (Springer) was founded in 1987, when computers in the worldwide top 500 were slower than today’s smart phones. This makes the field a quarter of a century old. Generally, scientific disciplines of t ... more
Helene Loos studied food technology at the University of Hohenheim and completed her doctorate in food chemistry at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) in 2015. During her doctoral studies, she investigated the aroma composition of breast milk and the behavioral resp ... more
Diana Owsienko, born in 1994, studied food chemistry at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) in Erlangen from 2013 to 2017 and worked on her final scientific thesis at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV) in Freising from 2017 to 2018. In 2 ... more
Nadine Goldenstein studied Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen, Germany. Subsequently she worked as a scientist in Organic Biogeochemistry at MARUM, Bremen, where she concentrated her research activities on the investigation of microbial metabolic processes, with a foc ... more
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