Synthesis and Development of Graphene–Inorganic Semiconductor Nanocomposites

Over the past decade, graphene research has attracted increasing interest from researchers in physics, materials science, chemistry, etc. Graphene consists of an unusual single-layer honeycomb lattice of C atoms, which differs from all other materials of this element. More specifically, the C atoms of graphene are sp2-bonded and densely packed in a crystal lattice. This closely resembles the basic building block found in graphitic materials of different dimensionalities. (1) It has been demonstrated that graphene exhibits some special characteristics, such as a high electron mobility of up to 230 000 cm2 V–1 s–1 at low temperatures, (2) an exceptional thermal conductivity approaching 5000 W mK–1, (3) and superior mechanical properties with a large Young’s modulus, exceeding 1.0 TPa, (4, 5) the latter being comparable to those of single-walled nanotubes and even diamonds.