Physics Professor Organizes International Graphene Workshop
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – As a result of the reception of his work with graphene, Salvador Barraza-Lopez, assistant professor of physics in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, brought together a group of more than 40 researchers last summer for an international workshop on graphene’s strain engineering. His co-organizers included Maria A. H. Vozmediano (Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Spain) and Mikhail I. Katsnelson (Radboud University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands). Katsnelson, the leading theoretician on graphene, was a co-author on publications for which the discoverers of graphene, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, received the Nobel Prize in 2010.
Graphene is a one-atom-thick sheet of graphite. Electrons moving through graphite have mass and encounter resistance, while electrons moving through graphene are massless, and therefore travel much more freely. This makes graphene an excellent candidate material for use in meeting future energy needs and the fabrication of quantum computers, which make enormous calculations with little energy use.
“Being isolated less than ten years ago, two-dimensional materials are enticing because they are the thinnest membranes to ever be made,” said Barraza-Lopez, “As it turns out, the material properties of these membranes—electrical, optical, chemical, mechanical—can be modified by the shape they take when stretched or bent.”
In addition to organizing the workshop, Barraza-Lopez shared the latest developments taking place at the University of Arkansas and heard of news firsthand from experimental and theoretical teams in this area. Barraza-Lopez's work with graphene has ranged from developing a new mathematical framework to characterize its shape to finding a new approach for controlling the strain on graphene membranes.
![]() |
Researchers from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, The United Kingdom and the United States of America were represented at the workshop, which took place at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich, Switzerland, July 14-16.
The event was possible through financial assistance from the Department of Physics at the University of Arkansas,the Spanish Ministry for Economic Development, and the Centre Européen de Calcul Atomique et Moléculaire (CECAM); an organization devoted to the promotion of fundamental research on advanced computational methods and to their application to important problems in frontier areas of science and technology.
Topics
Contacts
Salvador Barraza-Lopez, assistant professor
Department of Physics
479-575-5933,
sbarraza@uark.edu
Taylor Glover, communications intern
J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
479-575-3712,
tglover@uark.edu
Headlines
Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design Presents Fall 2024 Lecture Series Lineup
Through these carefully selected presenters, the Fay Jones School continues to engage with the broad scope of issues, opportunities and challenges that society and the design disciplines confront today.
Honors College to Host Pulse Discussion on the History of Campus Protests
An expert panel moderated by the Democracy Fellows RSO will discuss the history, philosophy, emergency management and legality of campus protests on Sept. 12.
Baxter Joins Animal Science As Equine Instructor, Ranch Horse & Equine Judging Coach
Amanda Baxter, who has extensive experience in 4-H horse contests and clinics, is joining the Department of Animal Science as an equine instructor and head coach of the ranch horse and equine judging teams.
Wang Appointed Associate Editor for Biophysics Reviews
Yong Wang, associate professor of physics at the University of Arkansas, has been named an associate editor of Biophysics Reviews, the journal of the American Institute of Physics.
Data Science Program to Be Led by Previous Engineering Dean While Director Search Begins
Former Dean John English will serve as director while a search for the successor to University Professor Manuel Rosetti, the Data Science Program's inaugural director, is conducted.