Conductive carbon layers
The national winner in the field of chemistry, Michael Laue (17) from Saxony-Anhalt, aimed to produce electrically conductive carbon layers using simple means. The young researcher first oxidized commercially available graphite with strong acids to form graphite oxide. Using ultrasound, he split off individual layers of it: the graphene oxide. To finally drive out the oxygen, he experimented with flash light, laser beams, microwaves and various chemicals. His infrared spectra show that layers of carbon were indeed formed, which are conductive despite the still quite irregular structures.