Volume 2, Issue 3 -

This chapter describes the formation and properties of one nanometer thick carbon nanomembranes (CNMs), made by electron induced cross-linking of aromatic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The cross-linked SAMs are robust enough to be released from the surface and placed on solid support or over holes as free-standing membranes. Annealing at ~1000K transforms CNMs into graphene accompanied by a change of mechanical stiffness and electrical resistance. The developed fabrication approach is scalable and provides molecular level control over thickness and homogeneity of the produced CNMs. The mechanisms of electron-induced cross-linking process are discussed in details. A variety of polyaromatic thiols: oligophenyls as well as small and extended condensed polycyclic hydrocarbons have been successfully employed, demonstrating that the structural and functional properties of the resulting nanomembranes are strongly determined by the structure of molecular monolayers. The mechanical properties of CNMs (Young’s modulus, tensile strength and prestress) are characterized by bulge testing. The interpretation of the bulge test data relates the Young’s modulus to the properties of single molecules and to the structure of the pristine SAMs. The gas transport through the CNM is measured onto polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) - thin film composite membrane. The established relationship of permeance and molecular size determines the molecular sieving mechanism of permeation through this ultrathin sheet.

Many types of glass contain lanthanoides; among them, special glass for optical applications is the one with the highest content of lanthanoides. The precise determination of the lanthanoides’ concentration is performed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). However, up to now, there are no established standard processes guaranteeing a uniform approach to the lanthanoide analysis. The knowledge of the lanthanoides’ concentrations is necessary on the microscale in some cases, especially if a suitable separation and recycling procedure is to be applied. Here, the analysis is performed by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) or wavelength-dispersive X-ray (WDX) analytics in the scanning electron microscope.

The single carbon layer graphene and especially its oxidized derivatives, such as graphene oxide (GO), are in the focus of research that started already 150 years ago [1–6]. GO is a collective term for various single layers of graphene (with lattice defects) functionalized by oxo-addends. The type of oxo-groups is not defined, but epoxy and hydroxyl groups dominate the structure in addition to in-plane lattice defects on the percent scale. Those defects are rarely considered in chemical functionalization approaches and it is impossible to distinguish between functionalization of surface oxo-groups and in-plane oxo-groups. This chapter focuses on functionalized derivatives of graphene with an almost intact carbon framework, termed “oxo-functionalized graphene” (oxo-G 1 , index indicates the number of layers). Avoiding in-plane defects further allows the development of a controlled chemistry of graphene with oxo-addends. However, general approaches of conventional GO chemistry are summarized in a separate section.

Solvents play an incredibly important role in large scale chemical reactions. Switchable polarity solvents may prove to be a class of solvent that offers energy and material efficiencies greater than existing solvents. This paper examines such solvents and their potential in a variety of chemical reactions.