The English version of this book is an update to the Chinese version published in 2011. A wide range of books on graphene dealing with fundamentals to more advanced levels have appeared in the market after the award of the Nobel Prize to A. Geim and K.S. Novoselov. Some of those books focus on either science or technology, but this one concentrates on materials science and engineering, giving a comprehensive review of the subject.
The first chapter discusses the basic structure and properties of graphene. It contains short descriptions of carbon allotropes, with a historical account of the discovery of graphene, which is followed by illustrations on the structure and properties of graphene. Chapter 2 limits the discussions to the physical properties of graphene, such as refraction, thermal, and electrical conductivities, and introduces graphene structural information as derived from optical microscopy, electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy.
Chapter 3 covers multidimensional assemblies of graphene, with a predominant focus on oxides. It then discusses one-dimensional (1D), 2D, and 3D structural materials, large-scale synthesis of graphene films, template-directed methods, graphene-based macrostructures, and chemical and electrochemical reduction of graphene oxides. Chapter 4 depicts electronic, optical, mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties of graphene. Chapter 5 describes electronic devices, including solar cells and photodetectors.
Chapters 6 and 7 orient the reader to graphene-based sensors and flexible energy-storage devices. The advantages of graphene for gas sensing are well discussed; however, the literature coverage is not exhaustive. Chapter 8 covers graphene composites made with either polymer or non-polymeric matrices. Chapter 9 discusses biomedical applications such as graphene-based biosensors, graphene derivative-based functional carriers, and biosafety. The last chapter focuses on potential applications. Several exciting areas such as self-powered micromotors, knitted textiles, sensors and actuators, superhydrophobic surfaces, evolution of new 2D structures, and the need for low-cost synthesis of graphene are emphasized.
This is a specialized book reviewing the developments in select areas of graph-ene. There is a subject index at the end of the book for easy selection of topics. Although the book contains a number of illustrative figures, they are in black and white with limited clarity, and the text contains some structural errors (e.g., Chapter 1 starts with “… as mentioned in the previous chapter” when there is no chapter preceding it). The book aims to stimulate graduate students in materials science and engineering for further research in graphene. It is a good supplemental book for graduate students and for those interested in the area of graphene.
Reviewer: K.S.V. Santhanam is a professor in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science at Rochester Institute of Technology, USA.
