When
Monday, March 30, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
Zafer Mutlu
Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering
University of Arizona
"Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors: Making Electronics from Molecules"
Harshbarger 118A-A1
ABSTRACT: Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are atomically precise, quasi-one-dimensional carbon semiconductors that can be synthesized through bottom-up chemical approaches. Because their atomic structure is defined by molecular precursors, key electronic properties such as width, edge topology and bandgap can be programmed through molecular design and synthesis. This molecular-level control enables semiconductor structures with sub-nanometer precision, providing a powerful platform for studying quantum transport phenomena and exploring new directions for nanoscale electronics beyond conventional silicon technologies. In this talk, I will begin by discussing the diminishing returns of silicon transistor scaling in the face of rapidly increasing computing and energy demands. I will then introduce GNRs from both physics and chemistry perspectives and discuss how their extreme dimensions, atomically precise structure and chemical richness make them promising candidates for next-generation electronic devices. Next, I will describe bottom-up synthetic strategies for producing these materials with atomic precision and explain how these nanostructures can be integrated into transistors as nanoscale switching elements. I will then present our recent progress in the design, synthesis, fabrication and characterization of GNR electronics. I will conclude by discussing the remaining challenges and outlining emerging research directions toward nanoelectronics built from the bottom up, molecule by molecule.
BIOSKETCH: Zafer Mutlu is an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Arizona, with courtesy appointments in physics and electrical and computer engineering. Since joining Arizona in 2022, he has received several recognitions, including the Craig M. Berge Faculty Fellow Award, the Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing Fellow Award, the Peterson Family Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award and the Excellence at the Student Interface Award. Prior to Arizona, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and earned his PhD from the University of California, Riverside. His research group, ANNLab, develops advanced nanoelectronic devices incorporating molecular-scale materials, particularly atomically precise graphene nanoribbons. His work has appeared in venues such as IEEE IEDM, IEEE EDTM, ACS Nano, JACS, Advanced Functional Materials and Nano Energy. He recently contributed to the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC)’s Microelectronics and Advanced Packaging Technologies (MAPT) Roadmap and organized the FUSENANO Workshop: Molecules to Systems – The Future of Semiconductors with 1D and 2D Nanomaterials. He recently joined the Early Career Researcher Editorial Board of the journal Graphene and 2D Materials (Springer). Research in ANNLab has been supported by SRC, NSF, DoD, DOE and Freeport-McMoRan.