Entries by John Are Beukes

The Tangled Fate of Graphene and 5G

Graphene has been heralded as a “wonder material” for well over a decade now, and 5G has been marketed as the next big thing for at least the past five years. Analysts have suggested that 5G could be the golden ticket to virtual reality and artificial intelligence, and promised that graphene could improve technologies within […]

Graphene and hBN used to create unique 2D quantum bits

Two novel 2D materials, graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, and the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope – these were the ingredients used to create a novel kind of a so-called “quantum dot”. These extremely small nanostructures allow delicate control of individual electrons by fine-tuning their energy levels directly. Such devices can be key for […]

The Superlubric Behavior of Graphene

Graphene holds promise in a wide range of industries, including the energy, medical, aviation, and electronic sectors, due to its unique electrical, mechanical, and optical properties. Understanding the processes that drive separation of graphite into single graphene sheets is crucial for large-scale application.

Improved NO2 Gas Sensing Properties of Graphene Oxide Reduced by Two-beam-laser Interference

The article reports on the fabrication of a NO2 gas sensor from room-temperature reduction of graphene oxide(GO) via two-beam-laser interference (TBLI). The method of TBLI gives the distribution of periodic dissociation energies for oxygen functional groups, which are capable to reduce the graphene oxide to hierarchical graphene nanostructures, which holds great promise for gaseous molecular […]

Quantum bits in two dimensions

Two novel materials, each composed of a single atomic layer and the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope, are the ingredients for a novel kind of quantum dot. These extremely small nanostructures allow delicate control of individual electrons by fine-tuning their energy levels directly. Such devices are key for modern quantum technologies.

Graphene and CNTs used together to create new stretchable aerogels

Researchers at Zhejiang University in China have designed a new type of aerogels, made of graphene and carbon nanotubes, that can be reversibly stretched to more than three times their original length, displaying elasticity similar to that of a rubber band. This stretchability, in addition to aerogels’ existing properties like ultralow density, light weight, high […]