Professor Saverio Russo
Professor
Physics and Astronomy
Quantum Systems and Nanomaterials
The physics of future electronics is largely driven by the needs for reducing the size, enhancing the performances and combining novel functionalities in a single electrical device. The science of systems which are just one or few hundreds of atoms –i.e. nanoscale systems- differs significantly from that of macroscopic devices as it thrives primarily on the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics. This is leading to the discovery of a new realm of physical properties.
My research group is pioneering the novel science found in nano-systems. In particular, we are currently studying the electrical properties of graphene materials, which are just one or few carbon atom thick with honeycomb structure. In these materials charge carriers have a record high mobility at room temperature and behave as massless Dirac fermions.
Highlights from our recent breakthroughs include the discovery of the best known transparent material able to conduct electricity in 2012 in collaboration with the team of Dr M.F. Craciun. This is FeCl3-intercalated few layer graphene, and its electrical conductivity is more than 1000 times better than the one of pristine graphene. Read more about this news from BBC, Forbes, Reuters or read the original scientific manuscript published in Advanced Materials (Advanced Mater. 24, 2844 (2012)).
We recently discovered that the properties of FeCl3-intercalated few layer graphene, such as electrical conductivity and structure of the material, are also stable in extreme conditions of high levels of humidity (up to 100%) and temperatures as high as 600 C. Read more about this discovery in the news, El Mundo or read the original manuscript published in Nature Scientific Reports (Scientific Reports 5, 7609 (2015)).
