Physics &
Engineering

Scheme (left) and scanning tunneling microscope (STM) image of a graphene trench made by the catalytic nano-pen Background
Graphene, a monoatomic layer of graphite, is a promising candidate for future (nano)electronic applications. Currently however there are no techniques available for reproducibly cutting graphene with nanometer precision.

Background
The analysis of single molecules or thin layers is of technological and scientific importance. Unfortunately the common methods are not able to detect substances with extremely small quantities. Another problem is the instability of thin molecule layers and especially single molecules with respect to their thermal-, chemical- and photo-degradation or to external mechanical fields caused in scanning probe techniques. A disadvantage of Raman scattering methods is the large amount of heat produced by the focused plasmons localized at the active site, which can cause damage of the molecules.

Development or advancement of heterogeneous inorganic multi-component catalysts is based on mpiric expertise and basic knowledge. The base for catalyst development is the choice of the right catalytic active materials, their proper mass ratio as well as the best synthesis. Commonly used methods require the synthesis of numerous catalysts and their test of catalytic activity. No process for optimization based on the screening results is currently available.