Graphene is a two-dimensional semimetal with a tiny overlap between valence and conductance bands. It was discovered in 2004 by the group of Professor Andre Geim at Manchester. It is a one-atom-thick planar film of sp2-bonded carbon atoms which are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. It is the basic structural element of all other graphite materials. Graphene has remarkably high electron mobility at room temperature, as compared to those of silicon-based semiconductors. Since the identification of graphene in 2004, discoveries have been made to demonstrate graphene-based single-atom-layer transistors and chemical nanosensors for single-molecule gas detection. The electron mobility-related resistivity of graphene is about 35 percent less than that of copper, which is known to be the least resistive material at room temperature. Owing to its super mechanical-electronic properties, graphene is predicted to be a very promising material for widespread applications at various scales, ranging from macroaircraft to microdevices. Professor Andre Geim and Dr. Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics for their pioneering research on graphene.
This special issue is a collection of the articles on graphene research. The objective of this special issue is to bring together some selected examples of current research efforts related to the synthesis, characterization, and applications of graphene. We received research papers from the groups of many leading researchers worldwide. All the articles in this issue were peer reviewed by multiple reviewers. This issue publishes 14 accepted articles on various aspects of graphene research.
Acknowledgments
The editors would like to acknowledge and thank the authors, reviewers, and staff members of Hindawi Publishing Corporation for their contributions to this special issue. We highly appreciate the encouragement and support from the Editor-in-Chief Professor M. Hu and all the editors of the Journal of Nanomaterials.
Rakesh K. Joshi
Masamichi Yoshimura
Ashok Kumar