UK National Graphene Institute Selects Bruker’s Dimension FastScan AFM

Bruker has established a collaborative partnership with the University of Manchester’s new National Graphene Institute (NGI) to leverage the benchmark speed, resolution and performance of the Dimension FastScan® Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) for research into the nanofabrication and nanoscale properties of graphene.

Graphene, the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material, was first isolated and characterized at The University of Manchester by Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov, who were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 for their research.

This transparent, one-atom thick flat sheet of carbon has the potential to revolutionize technology, from smartphones and ultrafast broadband to drug delivery and computer chips.

Bruker’s unique PeakForce TUNA™ and PeakForce KPFM™ nanoelectrical AFM modes are anticipated to provide important new insights into nanoscale variations of graphene conductivity and work function.

Coupled with simultaneous quantitative mapping of mechanical properties enabled by Bruker’s exclusive PeakForce QNM® AFM mode, NGI researchers hope to uncover new information that will ultimately optimize the performance of new graphene-based materials and devices.

“Bruker’s Dimension FastScan provides our team with the best available technology to support the complex demands for sub-nanometer observations of graphene,” said Nobel Prize winner Professor Novoselov.

Professor Novoselov continued, “The unmatched speed and unique property mapping modes of FastScan will benefit many researchers across our institute and its partners. One of our key goals is to benefit from collaborative partnerships with leading global industry innovators, and we are very much looking forward to partnering with Bruker’s team of AFM innovators and application scientists.”

“It is clear that the world-class research team at The University of Manchester and its National Graphene Institute is a leader in graphene research and we are delighted that they have selected Bruker AFM systems to enable their work,” added David V. Rossi, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Bruker's AFM Business.

Rossi continued, “It is also pleasing to see that the Dimension FastScan and Bruker’s new proprietary nanoelectrical AFM modes are being used to accelerate graphene research and its technological applications.”