MICROWAVE-PHOTONIC DEVICES AND BIOSENSORS BASED ON GRAPHENE NANO PLATELETSStefano Bellucci, PhD, Habil. Prof., First Researcher, Head of NEXT Group

NATO ADVANCED RESEARCH WORKSHOP, MINSK 4-8 JUNE 2018

e-mail: bellucci@lnf.infn.it

2

The National Institute of Nuclear Physics ( INFN - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) is an organization for research in

nuclear physics. There are different divisions in Italy. The Frascati National Laboratories ( LNF ) is the largest and one of the most important ones. The research here is primarly concentrated on particle physics.

Carbon nanotubes synthesis

Graphene synthesis

FieldEmission

(Nanoco-mposites

Intercon-nects

Toxicology& Drug

delivery

(Bio)

sensors

Structural & Transport

Modelling & simulation

Microscopy

SEM / AFM

Raman/FTIR

AC

TIV

ITY

360

°O

N

NA

NO

TEC

HN

OLO

GY

Synthesis

20x

53x

310x

15.000x

150.000x

Hot Filament

CVD Termica

Gas Idrocarbon (HC)

CH4 – Methane

C2H2 - Acetylene

Synthesis

Graphene growth in Chemical Vapor Deposition

On common Cu slab, with acetylene

2h annealing with H2

1h growth time2D FWHM Γ2D=32,3 cm

-1

Nanodomains (hundreds nm,

presence of D and D’ bands)

I2D/IG= 3.7

Before After

Synthesis

Graphene

7

▪ the induced charge density n (p) depends on the electro-chemical

potential

▪ this is related to the external electric field (voltage)

Tunable Electrical doping – ambipolar transport

0gV =

e-h+

0gV

Growing Interest of using graphene:

Graphene Applications

Electromagnetic Shielding

Radar Absorbing Material (RAM)

Antennas Design

Space applications

Novel Electronic Circuitry

Synthesis

Graphene nanoplatelets exfoliated by microwaves

Mechanism of reaction

2D band evolutionLow defects= absence of

D band

Electronics

The GNP patch was deposited in two configuration, first in the gap of a microstrip line and

secondly, as a novel enhanced design, two graphene patches located between the main

microstrip line and two metal vias. The results show for the first configuration a wide band

functionality from DC to 20 GHz, with a tunability of 7 dB and minimum insertion loss of 5

dB, and for the second an operation in a frequency band of DC to 5 GHz, with 14 dB

tunability and minimum insertion loss of 0.3 dB.

GNP thin film was used for a

tunable attenuator device.

Enhanced Tunable Microstrip Attenuator based on Few Layer Graphene Flakes.

M. Yasir, S. Bistarelli, A. Cataldo, M. Bozzi, L. Perregrini, and S. Bellucci,

IEEE Microwave and Wireless Component Letters (2017)

Higher dissipative

attenuation

bellucci@lnf.infn.it

Electronics

A Planar Antenna with Voltage-Controlled Frequency Tuning Based on Few-Layer Graphene

Muhammad Yasir, Muhammad Yasir, Patrizia Savi, Silvia Bistarelli, Antonino Cataldo,

Maurizio Bozzi, Stefano Bellucci, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters 2017

GNP thin film was used for

a tunable patch antenna

• Change in the radiating

frequency of the antenna.

• Almost 500 MHz of shift in

resonant frequency at 5GHz.

bellucci@lnf.infn.it

Tunable phase shifter based on few-layer graphene flakes

Muhammad Yasir, Silvia Bistarelli, Antonino Cataldo, Maurizio Bozzi, Luca Perregrini, Stefano Bellucci

IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, 2018

GNP thin film was used for

a phase shifterElectronics

Graphee

SchottkeyHfO2 This work

Insertion Loss (dB)

5-10 14-6 3-6

Frequency band (GHz)

40-65 1-10 5-6

Phase (deg)20 30 35-43

Higher phase shiftThe phase variation is approx. 40 degrees, in the band from 1 to 5 GHz, with an additional insertion loss of approx. 3 dB

Aim: Maximum variation of the

imaginary part of the input impedance (versus the range of graphene

resistance). Large and constant real part of the input impedance.

Electronics

Efficient and versatile graphene-based multilayers for EM field absorption

D Mencarelli, L Pierantoni, M Stocchi, S Bellucci, Applied Physics Letters 109,

093103, 2016

We thoroughly investigated the possibility to absorb most (i.e., up to

more than 90%) of the incident electro-magnetic radiations in thin

multilayered PMMA/graphene structures, thus proposing the technical

realization of a device with an operational frequency range in the

millimeter-wave domain, i.e., 30 GHz–300 GHz.

Our simulations demonstrate the concrete possibility to enhance the

field absorption by means of a selective removal and proper micro-

patterning within the graphene material, enabling a complete and

efficient control of the graphene sheet conductance.

Strong absorption improvement with tapered hole pattern

Learning by Using Graphene Multilayers: An Educational App for

Analyzing the Electromagnetic Absorption of a Graphene Multilayer

Based on a Network Model

M. Baldelli, L. Pierantoni, S. Bellucci, IEEE Microwave Magazine, Vol. 17,

Issue 1, 2016

A new app for the electromagnetic absorption of a multilayer

composite material based on graphene

bellucci@lnf.infn.it

Development of Biosensors using Carbon Nanotubes

2014-2017

The main goal of the Project was creation of a reliable, sensitive, selective and noise protected prototype of a DNA biosensor. The main objectives

of the project were:

i) To create a prototype of one of the technologically state-of-the-art

and most effective electrochemical DNA – biosensors.

ii) To investigate and to compare thermodynamics and kinetics of DNA

and RNA hybridization both in the bulk and when immobilized on the

surface of a substrate, e.g. an electrode

iii) To synthesize polymer – CNT nanocomposites as suitable candidates

for biosensor electrodes.iv) To investigate sensitivity, selectivity and “noise immunity” of DNA-

sensors, using a polymer – CNT substrate and agents for the registration of

hybridization

v) To develop measuring methods for the registration of the changes in biosensors properties stimulated by DNA hybridization or other processes.

BIOSENSORS: DNA CHIP

DNA CHIP: APPLICATIONS

⚫ Medical diagnostics

⚫ Biological weapons defense

⚫ Environmental pollutants monitoring

⚫ Etc.

Thinky mixer: the high amount of filler, increases dramatically the viscosity of the resin. In these

conditions, the Thinky planetary movement worked efficiently and dispersed nanoparticles in the resin.

We deposited a droplet of nanocomposite, to cover completely the surface of working electrode.

The so-modified screen-printed electrodes, were tested with galvanostat/potentiostat Palmsens .

Sensing

Electrochemical sensing using composite

coatings based on carbon nanostructures

Ciclic Voltammetry and SEM images of nanocomposite Epoxy-CNT 10%

CV and –SEM images of nanocomposite Epoxy-CNT-NH2 10%

CV and SEM images of nanocomposite Epoxy-GNP 10% SPE modified with Epoxy-CNT-NH210% and Epoxy-CNT-NH2 10% most

sensitive than SPE unmodified

Modification of screen

printed electrodes (SPE)

with nanocomposite

materials

Nanocomposite based photonic crystal sensors of biological and chemical agents

2018-2021

NEXT group @INFN Frascati, in collaboration with the National Academy of

Science of Kiev and the Lviv Polytechnic in Ukraine and with the Fraunhofer

Institute of Potsdam-Golm in Germany, proposed developing cheap, yet

effective photonic crystal (PC) structures, formed by a periodic distribution of

nanoparticles (NP) in polymer matrix for PC powered sensor applications and

fluorescent and Raman spectroscopy, for highly sensitive detection of chemical and biological agents. The volume PC structures will be fabricated

using holographic method in original photopolymer nanocomposites

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 1– White light diffraction by polymer gratings–Ag NP (a), LaPO4 NP (b), TiO2 NP (c)

Nanocomposite based photonic crystal sensors of biological and chemical agents

2018-2021

The project suggests a new approach based on the deposition of

special recognition layers, such as graphene nano-flakes and rare

earth oxides, on the PC surface to detect the various agents

chemically related to the recognition layer. Unlike resonant textured structures which are widely used nowadays – we propose

using PC resonant structures for waveguides with periodic

modulation of the permittivity.

PC structures are formed by diffusion redistribution of the NP, such as graphene nano-flakes, in the polymer matrix during exposure to

an interference pattern. The periodic structure and its thickness, as

well as the refractive index of the material can be varied in such a

way that the structure can support guided-mode resonances at

designated wavelength region.

Nanocomposite based photonic crystal sensors of biological and chemical agents

2018-2021

It aims at building prototypes of PC structures, designed for fast,

non-destructive detection of very small amounts (of the order of

100 femtograms, down to even single molecules) of biological and

chemical toxins and to monitor with high-sensitivity environmental pollution caused by biological and chemical agents.

The main steps:

(i) theoretical analysis and design;

(ii) fabrication and characterization of label-free sensors; (iii) functionalization of PC structures with graphene nanoflakes,

(iv) testing of enhancement effects in fluorescent and Raman

spectroscopy.

The project realization will promote emerging nanotechnologies for early detection of environmental contamination

Thanks for your attention

QUESTIONS ?

bellucci@lnf.infn.it