Three-dimensional graphene: Experiment at BESSY II shows that optical properties are tuneable

said braka 9:02 PM
Carbon is a very versatile element. It not only forms

diamonds, graphite, and coal, but can also take a planar form as a hexagonal matrix - . This material, consisting of only a single atomic layer, possesses many extreme properties. It is highly conductive, optically transparent, and is mechanically flexible as well as able to withstand loads. André Geim and Konstantin Novoselov received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of this exotic form of carbon. And just recently, a Japanese team has been successful in stacking two-dimensional graphene layers in a three-dimensional architecture with nanometre-sized pores.
Tuneable plasmons
A research team operated by a group at Sapienza University in Rome has now for the first time made a detailed investigation of the  of 3D graphene at BESSY II. The team was able to ascertain from the data how  oscillations, known as plasmons, propagate in three-dimensional graphene. In doing so, they determined that these plasmons follow the same physical laws as 2D graphene. However, the frequency of the plasmons in 3D graphene can be very precisely controlled, either by introducing atomic impurities (doping), by the size of the nanopores, or by attaching specific molecules in certain ways to the graphene. In this way, the novel material might also lend itself to manufacturing specific chemical sensors, as the authors write in Nature Communications. In addition, the new material is interesting as an electrode material for employment in solar cells.
Advantages provided by the IRIS beamline


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-05-three-dimensional-graphene-bessy-ii-optical.html#jCp