A research group of the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) of the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), led by Dr. Yoshio Bando (NIMS Fellow), Dr. Xuebin Wang (NIMS Postdoctoral Researcher), and Dr. Golberg Dmitri (Unit Director), has succeeded for the first time in the world in making products with a structure wherein ultrathin graphene (monolayer or fewlayer) is glued to a 3-D strutted framework. This has been achieved by a novel and unique method inspired by the blown sugar art, which can be called the "chemical blowing method".
Graphene is an ultrathin material. It is a form of carbon but has unique properties that cannot be found in other carbon materials such as graphite, diamond and carbon nanotube. The scientists who discovered this material were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. Although its application has been expected to bloom, it is still difficult to make a reliable 3-D graphene structure, which is necessary to overcome the weak inter-sheet connection, low surface area and insufficient mechanical strength of normal graphene products. Many researchers have attempted to make 3-D graphene but failed to achieve this without deteriorating its properties.
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