The factors which limit the electrical conduction of graphene, a monolayer of carbon atoms, are still not clear and are subjects of hot debate. The aim of this project is to find out which of the following factors are important and find the ways to control them: the material properties of the substrate on which the graphene is placed, impurities in the substrate and on the graphene surface, and impurities and defects of the crystal structure of graphene itself. In particular, we will try to affect the electrical conduction of graphene by chemical modification of its surface and edges, and by doping it with a range of molecules. The conductance has been shown to be extremely sensitive to the addition of certain molecules onto the graphene surface. We want to extend this range of molecules and include biological species into this list. This research will be important not only for understanding the fundamental principles of graphene conduction, but also for practical applications and design of ultra-sensitive sensors.
See our list of other potential PhD projects in Biomedical Physics and Quantum systems and nanomaterials.