Chemical functionalization of 2D materials

2D materials have recently attracted significant attention due to their extraordinary properties (electrical, optical, chemical, mechanical and thermal), which make them interesting candidates for many technological applications. The symposium will include the state of art progress in the field of chemical functionalization of 2D materials, focusing on new chemistries on 2D materials, and also covering relevant applications in energy storage, sensing, catalysis, composites and nanodevices, etc.

Scope:

This symposium aims to attract experts working on the chemical functionalization of 2D materials and their relevant applications, including chemists, materials scientists, physicists and industrial partners. The goal is to provide a platform/forum for experts on the topic to meet, present latest results, share views/ideas and connect with each other for potential collaborations, in the end to further move forward the field.

The chemical functionalization of 2D materials is a very important branch and a fast-moving area within 2D materials research. Chemical functionalization is a powerful approach that can prevent the aggregation of 2D materials in solvents (e.g., to preserve their large aspect ratio and specific surface area), improve their dispersibility, wettabilty and processibility, tune their physicochemical properties, and potentially impart new properties. Chemically functionalized 2D materials have already shown potential applications in energy conversion and storage, multifunctional nanocomposites, electronics devices, sensing, etc. For example, chemically functionalized graphene can enhance the interfacial interactions between graphene and polymers to form much stronger nanocomposites.

In the symposium, the recent development of chemical modification of 2D materials will be discussed by invited and oral speakers, and also presented in the form of posters. The scope of topics to be covered include not only on the new chemistries on graphene, but also emerging chemistries of other beyond-graphene 2D materials (transition metal dichalcogenides, phosphorene, MXene, etc). Furthermore, the relevant applications of chemically modified 2D materials will be demonstrated by the participants.

We will invite some experts from industry working on 2D materials to give presentations from the viewpoints of industrial applications, to bridge the gap between academia and industry, and to explore opportunities to collaborate towards the practical use of chemically functionalized 2D materials.

We will also organize a special issue on the topic of chemical functionalization of 2D materials in a scientific journal (e.g., Chemistry-A European Journal, Wiley). The participants in the symposium will have an opportunity to publish their latest results in a leading journal.

Hot topics to be covered by the symposium:

The symposium will cover a wide range of hot topics relating to chemical functionalization of 2D materials, including, but not limited to:

• Graphene
• Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)
• Phosphorene
• MXene
• Boron nitride
• Other 2D materials
• Heterostructures
• Catalysts
• Energy conversion and storage
• Sensing
• Nanodevices
• Photonics
• Nanocomposites
• Membranes