Prof. Klaus Mullen
Director, Max Planck Institute of Polymeric Research, Germany
Brief Biography: Klaus Müllen’s broad research interests range from
the development of new polymer-forming reactions, including methods of
organometallic chemistry, to the chemistry and physics of small
molecules, graphenes, dendrimers and biosynthetic hybrids. His work
further encompasses the formation of multi-dimensional polymers with
complex shape-persistent architectures, nanocomposites, and molecular materials with liquid crystalline
properties for electronic and optoelectronic devices
Abstract Title: Graphene Nanoribbons and Graphene Molecules as Multitalents of Material
Science
Graphenes and graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are praised as multifunctional wonder materials and rich
playgrounds for physicists. Indeed, GNRs hold promise as a new family of semiconductors which are
superior to classical conjugated polymers. Above all, graphene as a two-dimensional polymer and GNRs
are true challenges for materials synthesis. Herein, we present, both, “bottom-up” precision synthesis
and “top-down” fabrication protocols toward graphene. Further, GNRs are synthesized by conventional
polymer synthesis in solution and by on-surface synthesis under STM-control. The resulting materials
properties cover an enormous breadth, indicating utility from batteries, supercapacitors, oxygen
reduction catalysts, photodetectors and sensors to semiconductors. Field effect transistors are built
from GNRs even including single-molecule devices. Another question is whether graphene holds
promise for robust technologies. An attempt will be made at providing answers.
Nature 2010, 466, 470; Nature Chem. 2011, 3, 61; Nature Nanotech. 2011, 6, 226; Nature Chem. 2012, 4, 699; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51,
7640; Adv. Polym. Sci. 2013, 262, 61; Nature Nanotech. 2014, 9, 182; Nature Nanotech. 2014, 9, 131; Nature Chem. 2014, 6, 126; Nature
Commun. 2014, DOI:10.1038/ncomms5973; Nature Nanotech. 2014, 9, 896; Nature Commun. 2014, DOI:10.1038/ncomms5253; Adv. Mater.
2015, 27, 669; ACS Nano 2015, 9, 1360; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 2927; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 6097; Nature Commun. 2015, DOI:
10.1038/ncomms8992; Nature Commun. 2015, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8655; Nature 2016, accepted; Science 2016, accepted.
