Graphene has attracted significant attention in the scientific community in recent years because of its exceptional physical properties. The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Sir Andre Geim and Sir Konstantin Novoselov “for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene.” There has been an explosion in research and corresponding rapid increase in scientific publications in this area in the last decade. Given the diversity and multitude of publication sources and content, there is a need for books that will distill this information and present it in a cogent form useful for researchers. This book by Wolf serves this purpose admirably and is recommended for students and researchers who have a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and solid-state physics.
The book discusses how the structure of graphene results in the exceptional physical properties from a fundamental physics perspective. The technical content of the book begins with the description of 2D electron behavior in systems such as liquid helium and semiconductor heterojunctions (chapter 2). In the third chapter, different forms of carbon and its molecular compounds are discussed from the perspective of quantum mechanics; namely, starting from the Schrödinger equation for the carbon atom. Chapter 3 serves as a useful foundation for chapter 4, which deals with the electronic band structure of graphene. Chapter 5 describes different methods used to synthesize graphene. Chapter 6 provides a brief overview of some of the optical, electrical, and thermal characterization techniques of this material. The mechanical and electrical properties of graphene are discussed in chapter 7, and chapter 8 examines graphene’s physical properties that are not well understood. Potential applications of graphene in devices, interconnects, Li-ion batteries, and hydrogen storage are presented in chapter 9.
In summary, the book is a well-written and concise introduction to the structure, synthesis, properties, and applications of graphene.
Reviewer: Nirmal Govindarajuis a research assistant professor at Oklahoma State University, USA.
