Devices using novel carbon nano-structures for energy generation
View Patent ↗This relates to a device for detecting or converting light or heat energy, the device comprising: a Graphene sheet formed into a scroll such as to provide a monolayer structure in which the radius of curvature of the graphene sheet increases on increasing distance from the longitudinal axis of the scroll.
1. A device for detecting or converting light or heat energy, the device comprising:
two electrical contacts; and
an active layer sandwiched between the two electrical contacts, wherein the active layer comprises one or more scrolls, characterized in that each scroll consists of a graphene sheet formed into the scroll such as to provide a structure in which the radius of curvature of the graphene sheet increases on increasing distance from the longitudinal axis of each scroll.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each scroll has an inner diameter of less than or equal to 5 nm.
3. A device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein each scroll has an inner diameter of 0.3 to 0.5 nm.
4. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each scroll has an outer diameter of less than or equal to 5 nm.
5. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 - 4 , wherein each scroll has a single layer.
6. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 - 4 , wherein each scroll has multiple layers.
7. A device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the multiple layers in each scroll each have an edge, and the edges of the multiple layers are aligned between the multiple layers.
8. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 - 4 , wherein the graphene sheet is diagonally rolled at a chirality.
9. A device as claimed any of claims 1 - 4 , wherein the graphene used for the preparation of the one or more scrolls is free from contamination and defects.
10. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 - 4 , wherein graphene platelets used in preparation of the one or more scrolls have a length which is at least 25 nm.
11. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 - 4 , wherein the device includes multiple scrolls.
12. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 - 4 wherein the device further comprises electron and hole transport layers sandwiched between the two electrical contacts and the active layer is sandwiched between the electron and hole transport layers.
13. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 - 4 , wherein the graphene sheet has a thickness which is 0.335 nm.
14. A device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the multiple layers in each scroll are arranged in a stacking order.
15. A device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the multiple layers in each scroll have an interlayer spacing of 0.34 nm.