Grafene single-layer per biologia e chimica: fabbricazione e applicazioni

The huge graphene boom of the last decade led to its use in a very large number of application in different fields. In this thesis I explore single layer graphene properties to develop two main applications in chemistry and biology. First, the attention will be focused on graphene cleanness. A novel graphene transfer method, using graphene on copper grown via chemical vapour deposition, is developed. This involves the use of a thin titanium layer as graphene support during its transfer from the metal on the final substrate instead the common used polymer, avoiding residuals and contaminations. Secondly, single layer graphene was used to fabricate sealed cell for liquid investigation. Graphene nanobubbles filled with water were fabricated on a TiO2 substrate and used for liquid analysis with different techniques, such as electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and, more interesting, x-ray electron spectroscopy in ultra-high vacuum conditions. These sealed graphene liquid cells were used to follow two chemical reactions, the thermal-induced iron reduction in a FeCl3 solution and the photon-induced iron reduction in liquid Prussian Blue. In the last part, a biological application will be presented; this involve the use of supported and suspended single layer graphene for rat hippocampal neuronal cells growth, demonstrating the big potential of this material for neuronal interfaces.