Oxygen extends graphenes reach Carbon in the form of graphene—a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms in a hexagonal network—is strong, flexible and an excellent electrical conductor. These characteristics make the material very attractive for applications as diverse as electronics, desalination and energy storage. The addition of other elements to the surface of graphene can modify the material’s physical and chemical properties, extending the range of possible applications even further.Yousoo Kim, Jaehoon Jung and colleagues from the RIKEN Surface and Interface Science Laboratory have now performed theoretical calculations that show that the addition of oxygen to graphene on metal substrates results in enhanced functionalization (Functionalization of Graphene Grown on Metal Substrate with Atomic Oxygen: Enolate vs Epoxide). To investigate the functionalization of graphene using oxygen, the researchers calculated the adsorption energies of different arrangements of oxygen atoms on freestanding graphene, graphite (multilayered graphene) or graphene on a copper substrate. When added to graphene, oxygen usually forms bridges between neighboring carbon atoms to create a structure known as an epoxide, and this structure is exactly what emerged as the most stable arrangement in both graphene and graphite. For graphene on copper, however, each oxygen atom preferred to bond to a single carbon atom that lies above a gap in the copper lattice, forming what is known as an enolate structure (Fig. 1). Read more from our site: goo.gl/IVmO0p Visit our page: https://facebook/nanowerk
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 17:38:00 +0000
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