The EU has recently launched the Innovation Radar tool, an initiative to identify high potential innovations and innovators in EU-funded research and to increase their visibility through the Innovation Radar website, making them available to potential users and to the society. 

The innovation was developed in the framework of the FP7 project “Electrical spin manipulation in electroactive molecules” (ACMOL).

The TU-Delft partner, Dr. Burzurí and his team, advanced in a “New pre-patterning method toicate constrictions in graphene flakes”. It consists in a new approach to fabricate narrow bridges in graphene layers in order to facilitate the creation of a localized nano-gap by electroburning, and therefore nanometer-spaced graphene electrodes.

Before creating the small space between the two graphene layers, the geometry is enhanced by creating a “bow-tie-shaped” bridge using lithography techniques. This narrow bridge will improve the electroburning step, which creates the nano-gap. A single molecule can be trapped in this small space, allowing the measure of electron transport across the graphene electrodes.

Figure and Cover Figure: Graphene "bowtie" in the device

This innovation is faster and more cost-effective compared with other technologies: hundreds of devices can be prepared in one single step from commercially grown graphene. This innovation opens the door to the fabrication of chips based on graphene electrodes.

More information:

• New pre-patterning method to fabricate constrictions in graphene flakes technology
• Innovation Radar (Discover great EU-funded Innovations

Reference articles: 

• Island et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 26, 474205 (2014)
• Burzurí et al., ACS Nano 10, 2521-2527 (2016)