Research conducted by the Istituto Officina dei Materiali of the Cnr (Cnr-Iom) and the Universities of Trieste, Milano-Bicocca and Vienna has revealed a simple and innovative method for the creation of materials that combine the versatility of graphene with the robustness of metal atoms. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, promises applications in the fields of catalysis, spintronics and electronic devices.
The method identified consists of depositing metal atoms, such as cobalt, in a controlled manner during the formation of the graphene layer on a nickel surface.
Some of these atoms are incorporated into the carbon network of graphene, thus transforming into a new material that has exceptional properties of robustness, reactivity and stability.
Single atoms of cobalt and nickel trapped in a graphene network (credits: Valeria Chesnyak, Irene Modolo)
The method was designed in the laboratories of the Cnr-Iom of Trieste: “This is still a preliminary result, but already very promising, the result of an original idea born in our laboratory which at the beginning seemed unachievable“, says Cristina Africh, Cnr-Iom researcher who led the team.
Thanks to the fact that the material can be detached from the substrate while maintaining its original structureit can potentially be used in an application context. “The methodology has been tested to trap nickel and cobalt atoms, but our calculations say that the use could be extended to other metals for different applications“, explains Cristiana Di Valentin, professor of general and inorganic chemistry at the University of Milan-Bicocca.
Also, the material it showed stability even in critical conditions: “We have demonstrated that this material survives even critical conditions, including electrochemical environments used for fuel cell and battery applications“, he adds Jani Kotakoski of the University of Vienna.
The result of an international collaboration, the studio made use of different and complementary skills: “A decisive aspect to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, simple and powerful at the same time”concludes Giovanni Comelli of the University of Trieste.
