Molecular assemblies on graphene grow in perfect orientation by atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip scanning. The gray plane on the bottom represents the graphene surface. The stick-like particles consisting of red, white, yellow and gray colored balls represent surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)) molecules. The gray colored reverse pyramid-like structure represents the probe tip of AFM.

Scientists at Nagoya University have developed a simple way to align molecules in one direction on a flat graphene surface. Efficiently controlling molecular alignment is expected to lead to significant progress in surface chemistry and molecular engineering, as well as materials science.

Nagoya, Japan - A group of scientists at Nagoya University have developed a simple and powerful method to construct perfectly unidirectional molecular assembly structures on graphenes, according to a study reported in the journal Scientific Reports. Discovered accidentally during other research, the method relies on a common laboratory tool, atomic force microscopy (AFM), to control molecular alignment......>>read more on the ITbM website