
AsianScientist (Oct. 27, 2014) – Researchers at The University of Western Australia (UWA) have discovered that nano-sized fragments of graphene can speed up the rate of chemical reactions. This research has been published in the journal Chemical Physics Letters.
Graphene was one of the most exciting materials to work with in nanotechnology because its two-dimensional structure and unique chemical properties made it a promising candidate for new applications such as energy storage, material composites as well as computing and electronics. The global market for graphene is reported to have reached US$9 million this year with most sales concentrated in the semiconductor, electronics, battery energy and composites.
“Ever since the discovery of graphene in 2004, scientists have been looking for potential applications in nanochemistry,” said author of the present study, Assistant Professor Amir Karton from UWA’s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
“Using powerful supercomputers, we have discovered that graphene nanoflakes can significantly enhance the rates of a range of chemical reactions.”
The finding was significant because it suggested that graphene might have potential applications in catalyzing chemical reactions of industrial importance, he added.
Quantum chemical calculations showed that interactions between the substrate and the graphene stabilized the transition structure during catalytic reaction. This stabilization was able to reduce the reaction barrier by as much as 21-63 percent, resulting in much faster reactions.
“The next steps would be to extend the catalytic scope to other types of chemical reactions and extend the scope of the study to ‘infinite’ graphene sheets rather than graphene nanoflakes,” Prof. Karton said.
The article can be found at: Amir Karton (2014) Inversion and Rotation Processes Involving Non-Planar Aromatic Compounds Catalyzed by Extended Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.
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Source: University of Western Australia.
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