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Detection of individual gas molecules adsorbed on graphene

F. Schedin, A.K. Geim, S.V. Morozov, E.W. Hill, P. Blake, M.I. Katsnelson, K.S. Novoselov.

Nature Materials. 2007;6(9):652-655.

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Abstract

The ultimate aim of any detection method is to achieve such a level of sensitivity that individual quanta of a measured entity can be resolved. In the case of chemical sensors, the quantum is one atom or molecule. Such resolution has so far been beyond the reach of any detection technique, including solid-state gas sensors hailed for their exceptional sensitivity1, 2, 3, 4. The fundamental reason limiting the resolution of such sensors is fluctuations due to thermal motion of charges and defects5, which lead to intrinsic noise exceeding the sought-after signal from individual molecules, usually by many orders of magnitude. Here, we show that micrometre-size sensors made from graphene are capable of detecting individual events when a gas molecule attaches to or detaches from graphene's surface. The adsorbed molecules change the local carrier concentration in graphene one by one electron, which leads to step-like changes in resistance. The achieved sensitivity is due to the fact that graphene is an exceptionally low-noise material electronically, which makes it a promising candidate not only for chemical detectors but also for other applications where local probes sensitive to external charge, magnetic field or mechanical strain are required.

Bibliographic metadata

Type of resource:
Content type:
Publication type:
Publication form:
Published date:
Journal title:
ISSN:
Volume:
6
Issue:
9
Start page:
652
End page:
655
Total:
4
Digital Object Identifier:
10.1038/nmat1967
Access state:
Active

Institutional metadata

University researcher(s):

Record metadata

Manchester eScholar ID:
uk-ac-man-scw:16867
Created by:
Geim, Andre
Created:
25th September, 2009, 13:58:17
Last modified by:
Bentley, Hazel
Last modified:
28th November, 2013, 15:45:16

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