"Graphene Nanoribbons as a New Family of Semiconductors," Dr. Klaus Müllen

Abstract

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), geometrical cut-outs of the graphene lattice, are a new generation of semiconductors superior to i) silicon in view of the required miniaturization of printed circuits and also to ii) classical conjugated polymers due to better band structure control. Above all, they are true challenges for chemical synthesis.
It is a synthetic breakthrough towards GNRs which leads to new materials science. Exciting examples are single-molecule field effect transistors, topological insulators, spintronics and quantum computing. Beyond electronics, synthesis opens yet another world. Thus, GNRs are synthesized from twisted 3D-polyphenylene macromolecules as precursors. These “dendrimers” form drug delivery vehicles passing the blood-brain barrier and dendrimer-virus assemblies allowing DNA transfection.

Speaker Profile

Klaus Müllen was Director at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research from 1989 until 2016 where he also led the Department of Synthetic Chemistry. He has received many awards throughout a distinguished career including the Max Planck Research Award, the Polymer Science Award by the American Chemical Society, the Adolf-von-Baeyer-Denkmünze by Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker and the Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Medaille. In 2017 he was elected a member of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering.

Professor Müllen is currently a fellow at the Gutenberg Research College and heads the Emeritus Research Group "Graphenes" at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. He studied chemistry at the University of Cologne and was granted his doctorate by the University of Basel.