International team develops novel method to modify the structure and properties of graphene

An international research team, that included researchers from the Harbin Institute of Technology in China, INRS in France and more, has demonstrated a novel process to modify the structure and properties of graphene. This process relied on a chemical reaction known as photocycloaddition, that modifies the bonds between atoms using ultraviolet (UV) light.

“No other material has properties similar to graphene, yet unlike semiconductors used in electronics, it lacks a band gap. In electronics, this gap is a space in which there are no energy levels that can be occupied by electrons. Yet it is essential for interacting with light,” explains Professor Federico Rosei of INRS’s Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre.