Current Events:

Carbon Allotropes

Carbon based materials are the new stage of development towards all-carbon based devices or mechanically enhanced materials. The understanding of micro- and nanostructure, as well as the chemistry and functionalization of these novel materials is a prerequisite for their further development. With the given possibilities of aberration corrected electron microscopy, an insight can be gained via imaging and high resolution analytics (EDXS and EELS). Mechanical properties can be investigated with different setups in situ using TEM and SEM.

The group investigates different kinds of graphene, CNTs and carbon based devices at decreased accelerating voltages to prevent specimen damage. The behavior of this carbon based soft matter within a TEM severely differs from classical crystalline materials and demands a special sample treatment, handling and microscope setup. This is accounted by eg. all inert-gas handling of specimens, solvent purification for specimen preparation and improved imaging parameters at reduced accelerating voltages.

Selected Publications

  • B. Butz, C. Dolle, F. Niekiel, K. Weber, D. Waldmann, H. B. Weber, B. Meyer and E. Spiecker: Dislocations in Bilayer Graphene, Nature 505 (2014), 533-537, DOI: 10.1038/nature12780
  • D. Waldmann, B. Butz, S. Bauer, J. M. Englert, J. Jobst, K. Ullmann, F. Fromm, M. Ammon, M. Enzelberger, A. Hirsch, S. Maier, P. Schmuki, T. Seyller, E. Spiecker and H. B. Weber Robust Graphene Membranes in a Silicon Carbide Frame ACS Nano, 7 2013 (5), 4441–444. DOI: 10.1021/nn401037c
  • J. Englert, K. Knirsch, C. Dotzer, B. Butz, F. Hauke, E. Spiecker and A. Hirsch Functionalization of Graphene by Electrophilic Alkylation of Reduced Graphite Chem. Commun. 48, 5025-5027 (2012), DOI: 10.1039/C2CC31181J