Researchers from the Department of Physics and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute at the University of Basel, in collaboration with the University of Bern, have recently produced and studied kagome graphene, a compound consisting of hexagons and triangles which surround one another. This name, Kagome, comes from the Japanese art of Kagome weaving, a method of basket weaving consisting of this same pattern of shapes.

In order to produce this compound, a precursor was added to a silver substrate through vapor deposition and then heated to form an organometallic intermediate upon its surface. Upon more heat being added, kagome graphene is produced, with its signature pattern.

The first author of the study, Dr. Rémy Pawlak, describes the inspection of the graphene as such: “We used scanning, tunneling, and atomic force microscopes to study the structural and electronic properties of the kagome lattice,”

These studies have great potential, according to Ernst Meyer, the leader of the group. Kagome graphene could potentially act as a key building block in the future of sustainable and efficient electronic components.

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