Nanocomposite Characterisation by Coupled Confocal Raman / Atomic Force Microscopy

包括碳纳米管和石墨烯在内的碳基纳米材料具有独特的性能，可以用来增强和定制复合材料。2004年，曼彻斯特大学的盖姆和诺沃索列夫教授首次分离出石墨烯，他们因在石墨烯方面的工作而于2010年获得诺贝尔物理学奖。这种二维“神奇”材料已经引起了极大的兴奋，因为这种材料为许多重要的应用提供了非常有吸引力的特性。它是已知的最薄的材料，也是最强的材料之一，具有非常高的导电性和热导性，几乎完全透明，但密度如此之大，甚至连氦原子都无法通过它。卡尔加里大学正在进行研究，以开发用于有效处理工业废水的石墨烯基复合材料，以及具有增强强度和导电性的聚合物纳米复合材料。这些技术将通过降低废水处理成本和为电子、汽车和航空航天行业提供先进材料，为加拿大带来经济效益。

Carbon based nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes and graphene have unique properties that can be exploited to enhance and tailor composite materials. Graphene was first isolated at the University of Manchester in 2004 by Professors Geim and Novosolev, who were awarded the Nobel prize for Physics in 2010 for their work on graphene. This two dimensional "wonder" material has generated significant excitement, as this material offers very attractive properties for many important applications. It is the thinnest known material, yet is also one of the strongest, has very high electrical and thermal conductivity, is almost completely transparent, yet so dense that even helium atoms cannot pass through it. Research at the University of Calgary is underway to develop graphene based composite materials for the efficient treatment of industrial wastewater, and polymer nanocomposites with enhanced strength and electrical conductivity. These technologies will provide economic benefits for Canada, through reduction in wastewater treatment costs and advanced materials for the electronics, automotive and aerospace industries.