Creating a chemical carpet

A team of physicists from Technische Universität München and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München have developed a new process to create high-quality polymer networks using boron acid components. These developments, dubbed “carpets,” are two-dimensional self-organized boron acid molecules in a regular honeycomb-like arrangement on a graphite surface. Using extremely stable chemical bonds, the molecules are able to form a one-atom thick network when water is eliminated. Rather than sacrificing accuracy for stability, physicists developed a technique that uses covalent bonds to enhance strength while avoiding errors. The pores of the carpet have the potential to be used as stable forms for metal nanoparticles production.

SOURCE: Technische Universität München