SFB 953:  Synthetic Carbon Allotropes

Synthetic carbon allotropes such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene currently represent one of the most promising materials families with enormous potential for high-performance applications. At the same time they are ideal targets for investigating fundamental chemical and physical questions such as shape- and charge-dependent binding and release of molecules, charge transport in confined spaces, and superior sensing of supramolecular interactions. Because of the almost limitless possibilities of constructing both discrete and extended networks of sp-, sp2-, and sp3-hybridized carbon atoms, many additional and so far unknown modifications with remarkable properties are imaginable. Tapping these exciting possibilities fully, however, still requires overcoming a number of significant hurdles such as high-yield production methods, sorting and separation, developing synthesis protocols for new carbon allotropes, controlled doping with heteroelements, solubilization, chemical functionalization, hierarchically ordered architectures, and layer (single and multiple) formation. Hence, tremendous interdisciplinary efforts are required that systematically combine the expertise of chemists, physicists, engineers, and theoreticians, together with the contributions of high-end analytical instrumentation. The SFB 953 therefore constitutes the ideal forum to advance the field of synthetic carbon allotropes towards the desired goal of creating new materials for high-performance applications. The Collaborative Research Center is structured according to three research areas and two central projects. Research Area A (Synthesis and Functionalization) provides the materials basis of the SFB 953. The investigation of physical and materials properties and the development of concepts for device fabrication is covered in Research Area B (Electronic, Optical, and Structural Properties) and in two scientific central projects (Research Area Z – Characterization / Analysis). This highly integrated and interdisciplinary approach of the SFB 953 also necessitates a close connection with Research Area C (Theory) providing the basis for an in-depth understanding of reaction mechanisms, stability as well as electronic-, optical-, structural-, and mechanical properties.

DFG Programme Collaborative Research Centres

• A01 - Unifying Concepts for the Chemistry of Synthetic Carbon Allotropes (Project Head Hirsch, Andreas )
• A02 - Graphyrins - Graphene-Porphyrin Hybrids (Project Head Jux, Norbert )
• A03 - Process Design Strategies for Advanced Carbon Allotropes and their In-Suspension Analytics (Project Head Peukert, Wolfgang )
• A04 - The Next Generation of Carbon Allotropes: On the Way to Carbyne and Graphyne (Project Head Tykwinski, Rik )
• A05 - Molecular Fragments of Heteroatom-Doped Carbon Allotropes by Chemical Synthesis (Project Head Kivala, Milan )
• A06 - Atomically Precise Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes and Related Structures (Project Head Amsharov, Konstantin )
• A07 - Supramolecular Recognition of Synthetic Carbon Allotropes (Project Head von Delius, Max )
• A09 - Caging Carbon: Intercalation of Nano-onions and Supramolecular Encapsulation of SCAs (Project Head Pérez-Ojeda Rodríguez, María Eugenia )
• A10 - Macrocyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Covalent-Template Synthesis and Host-Guest Chemistry with Synthetic Carbon Allotropes (Project Head Kataev, Evgeny )
• B01 - Controlling the Opto-Electronic Properties of Semiconducting Carbon Allotrope Hetero Junctions by the Design of Nanoparticle Composites (Project Head Brabec, Christoph J. )
• B03 - Morphology and Property Control of SCAs via Self-Assembly (Project Head Halik, Marcus )
• B04 - High Resolution Scanning Probe Microscopy/Spectroscopy of Functionalized Carbon Allotropes (Project Head Maier, Sabine )
• B05 - Production Processes and Physical Properties of Carbon Allotropes (Project Heads Koval, Yuri ;  Müller, Paul )
• B06 - Electronic Structure and ManyBody Effects in Doped Graphene (Project Head Seyller, Thomas )
• B07 - Tuning the Surface Chemical Properties of Graphene (Project Heads Papp, Christian ;  Steinrück, Hans-Peter )
• B08 - Graphene and Organic Molecules: Transport Experiments (Project Head Weber, Heiko B. )
• B09 - Photo- and Electroluminescence of Carbon Allotropes (Project Head Zaumseil, Jana )
• B10 - Photophysical Characterization of Synthetic Carbon-Allotrope-Based Materials (Project Head Guldi, Dirk M. )
• B11 - Light-Field-Driven Currents in Graphene and Synthetic Carbon Allotropes as Functional Electron Optical Elements (Project Head Hommelhoff, Peter )
• B12 - Controlling Electronic Properties of Individual Synthetic Carbon Allotropes by Physical and Chemical Routes (Project Head Krstic, Vojislav )
• B13 - Optical and vibrational properties of functionalized synthetic carbon allotropes (Project Head Maultzsch, Janina )
• B14 - Electronic Couplings in the Excited States of Crystalline and of Structured Carbon-based Solids (Project Head Niesner, Daniel )
• C01 - Large Scale Simulations on Carbon Allotropes (Project Heads Clark, Timothy ;  Meyer, Bernd )
• C02 - Formation, Structure, Energetics, and Electronic Properties of Carbon-Rich Molecules and Materials by First-Principles Calculations (Project Head Görling, Andreas )
• C03 - Complex Carbon Allotropes: Defected Graphenes, Composite Materials, and Topological Insulators (Project Heads Pankratov, Oleg ;  Shallcross, Ph.D., Sam )
• C04 - Theory and Simulation of Charge Transport and Light-Induced Processes in Carbon-Based Molecular Systems (Project Head Thoss, Michael )
• Z01 - Gas-Phase Investigations of Synthetic Carbon Allotropes (Project Head Drewello, Thomas )
• Z02 - Aberration-Corrected High-Resolution and in situ Transmission Electron Microscopy of Carbon Allotropes and Related Device Structures (Project Heads Butz, Benjamin ;  Spiecker, Erdmann )
• Z03 - Central SFB Administration (Project Heads Hauke, Frank ;  Hirsch, Andreas )

Applicant Institution Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Participating University Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg; Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; Universität Ulm

Spokesperson Professor Dr. Andreas Hirsch