This book comprehensively covers graphene, addressing a broad range of physics- and chemistry-related aspects. This in itself is remarkable because so far books on graphene have been restricted to the physical aspects. However, there is an alternative approach which originates from chemistry. On the one hand, graphene can be regarded as a two-dimensional conjugated polymer. On the other, it results from the extension of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to infinite size. What chemistry can bring to the graphene research is its expertise in materials' synthesis. Important criteria which come to mind here are structural perfection, reproducibility, and the efficiency of the fabrication process at different length scales of the products. Further, understanding graphene on the basis of chemistry provides information on what physics cannot cover, particularly on graphene nanostructures. Currently graphene nanostructures have attracted much attention as active components of electronic and spintronic devices, materials for batteries, catalysts, and so on. Clearly, for these fields, the top-down approach of chemistry is indispensable, and it is hard to think of robust graphene-based technologies without an impact from chemistry. The text plays a dual role: as a rich source of knowledge for graphene chemistry and as an introduction to graphene physics with an emphasis on reliable structure–property relations. Both the newcomer and the expert will find it extremely valuable.

Dr. Klaus Müllen - Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany

Graphene has been attracting growing attention in physics, chemistry, and device applications after the discovery of micromechanically cleaved graphene sheet. The electronic structure of graphene, which is described in terms of massless Dirac fermion, brings about unconventional electronic properties, which are not only an important basic issue in condensed matter physics but also a promising target of cutting-edge electronics/spintronics device applications. Meanwhile, from the chemistry aspect, graphene is the extrapolated extreme of condensed polycyclic hydrocarbon molecules to infinite size. Here, the concept on aromaticity, which organic chemists utilize, is applicable. Interesting issues appearing between physics and chemistry are pronounced in nano-sized graphene (nanographene), as we recognize the importance of the shape of nanographene in understanding its electronic structure. This book comprehensively discusses the fundamental issues related to the electronic, magnetic, and chemical properties of condensed polycyclic hyodrocarbon molecules, nanographene, and graphene.

Students to specialists in condensed matter physics, physical chemistry, materials science and electronics.