The doctoral dissertation in the Photonics will be examined at the Faculty of Science and Forestry at Joensuu Campus.
What is the topic of your doctoral research, Marian Baah?
The topic is Graphitic materials: synthesis, characterization, and applications. This study is important because it brings to light the two main synthesis techniques of the wonder material, "graphene" and other graphitic materials and how these materials can be used in our everyday lives such as the detection of some organic waste.
What are the key findings or observations of your doctoral research?
This research highlights the generally used synthesis technique of graphitic materials, chemical vapour deposition (CVD) and the transfer method which is conventionally used on the large scale for the production of graphene. It then introduces the possibility of combining state of the art techniques such as 3D printing and this transfer technique, to produce volumetric all-graphene metasurfaces. These synthesized graphene metasurfaces are the thinnest ever to exist, perfect electromagnetic absorber (99% absorption in all THz range with 200 nm thick PMMA-graphene layer). The direct growth technique is also introduced and using this technique, we have synthesized a novel material which presents a possibility of use in the chemical industry.
How can the results of your doctoral research be utilized in practice?
In practice our novel material synthesized has shown possibility of use, in the detection of organic waste substance such as benzoquinone. This opens up the world of graphitic materials to the chemical industry as well as the electric engineering industry.
What are the key research methods and materials used in your doctoral research?
My research work is mainly experiments based. To begin, I studied the transfer method and direct synthesis, and characterization of these graphitic films presented my dissertation. Based on my studies, I synthesized plane graphene-like structures with sophisticated geometries using a reproducible technique and solid carbon source (resist). I studied different material synthesis so as to come up with different graphitic materials. These synthesis and characterization techniques are presented in the first and second articles used for this thesis. In this thesis five different materials are presented, the pyrolyzed photoresist film (PPF), the pyrolytic carbon film (PyC), graphitized photoresist film (PPF + Ni), multilayered graphitic film (MLG + Ni), and transferred graphene. All these samples were synthesized using either a solid carbon precursor or a gaseous carbon precursor, in combination with other process gases.
The doctoral dissertation of Marian Baah, MSc, entitled Graphitic materials: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications will be examined at the Faculty of Science and Forestry on 9th December 2021 at noon in Joensuu Campus, Metria building, Auditorium 103. The opponent in the public examination will be Associate Professor Georgy Fedorov of Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and the custos will be Professor Matthieu Roussey of University of Eastern Finland. Language of the public defence is English.
- Photo available for download (link to be updated)
- Dissertation book online
