Spectroscopy and spectroelectrochemistry of graphene and graphene multilayers

The preparation of nanomaterials with tunable specific properties is still great challenge. In the proposed project a new class of nanomaterials based on encapsulation of different molecules and nanocrystals in between two layers of graphene will be prepared (graphene sandwiches). Using proposed procedures different classes of materials will be encapsulated: fullerenes, nanoparticles, and biomolecules. We will study the interaction between graphene shell and encapsulated species. Graphene sandwiches will be also ideal for studies of charge transfer through graphene sheet. Several methods will be employed to study the prepared new materials. The most important will be in situ spectroscopies, which will allow to probe the properties of sandwiches during the electrochemical charging and/or chemical doping. Beside a contribution to fundamental science of nanomaterials the project has a potential to discover new applications of graphene and its modifications in drug delivery, energy storage or preserving unstable substances.