Proton dynamics of graphenes of different hydrogen content

Graphene is defined as a: ‘single layer of carbon atoms with each atom bound to three neighbours in a honeycomb structure’. This suggests that in a macroscopic, manageable sample quantity ideally 2D nano-objects are present consisting of single-layer sheets of sp2 carbon. In reality, different educts/raw materials of varying purity and morphology in the manufacture of graphene sheets, the efficiency of the exfoliation procedures and the post-oxidation/functionalization techniques all influence the properties. Especially the terminating protons (C-H) at the edges of the sheets or inside the 2D geometry in point or line defects are of great interest. Inelastic incoherent neutron scattering (IINS) is uniquely able to study the basic structural units of carbons. Here, we propose a parametric study on 2D-materials with moderately, to extremely, different structural properties.