‘…the last copper atom at the apex causes a rupture of the hydrogen-carbon bonds…’
Scientists in Japan have found a way to fabricate nanographene without damaging other parts of the material’s structure.
Producing nanographene requires high energy to selectively eliminate hydrogen atoms from organic molecules of carbon and hydrogen. However, in this process other part of the structure can be damaged. Researchers at the University of Tokyo, Japan, have now found a way to control the fabrication process that does not require destructive thermal energy, by using a copper probe.
Using the tip of an Atomic Force Microscope at low temperature and under pressure, the researchers were able to observe target molecules in fused benzene rings on a copper surface. The tip of the microscope comprises copper atoms and the last copper atom at the apex causes a rupture of the hydrogen-carbon bonds when it gets sufficiently close. The reaction occurs because the metal atom interacts with the hydrogen atom and retrieves it, generating nanographene. The technique is, however, not a suitable strategy for the industrial fabrication of nanographene, since the bonds are broken one-by-one.
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