It is expected that graphene will be mostly used when it is on a substrate. The nature of the interface between the graphene and the substrate will be very important for the electronic properties of the graphene because the substrate will have charged defects and phonons, both of which will scatter the electrons in graphene. The nature of the interface bond is thought to be mainly due to van der Waals forces but there could be some chemical bonds too. Also there is likely to be intermediate physi-absorbed layers, such as water molecules, which may play a significant role. The substrate surface will not be perfectly flat, so the contact with the graphene will be at points and lines. This will affect the bonding and the properties of the graphene. Also the nature and strength of the bonding to the substrate is crucially important for the production of graphene by exfoliation from graphite. The interface bonding and its influence on the properties of graphene, will be investigated experimentally.
Another direction for the project is injection of hot electrons into graphene using tunnel junctions.