Our Research
Overview
In the Coleman group, the central theme of our research is the production of 2D materials by liquid exfoliation. The resultant 2D materials are then characterized using a number of techniques including various forms of spectroscopy and microscopy. A key area of our research is the processing of these 2D materials to yield functional structures such as composites and thin films. We work with a number of composite types, for example polymer-nanosheet composites as well as nanotube-nanosheet composites. Much of our thin film work involves the printing of 2D materials using various techniques including inkjet printing, screen printing, and spray coating. In general, we are interested in demonstrating the applications potential of our materials. Although we have worked on a range of applications in the past, currently our focus is on composite materials, electromechanical sensing materials, printed electronics and energy storage.
- Liquid phase exfoliation Liquid phase exfoliation is a versatile method for producing 2D materials from layered crystals. It was invented in this research group in 2006 and has since then become a very widely used production technique.
- Liquid processing of 2D materials One strength of liquid phase exfoliation is that it yields nanosheets dispersed in liquids. This is extremely useful as it facilitates further processing of the nanosheets to create functional structures.
- Electromechanical One application area for conductive nanosheets and their composites is in the fabrication of electromechanical sensors. These are materials whose electrical properties change in a well-defined way in response to deformation.
- Printed electronics One significant advantage of 2D materials is their diversity. There are many different types of 2D material, all with different properties. For example, graphene is an electrical conductor, molybdenum disulfide is a semiconductor, while boron nitride is an insulator.
- Energy Storage Liquid exfoliated 2D materials demonstrate great promise for use in the energy storage arena. In our group we have explored a number of energy storage areas, including electrocatalytic energy storage and supercapacitors.