Synthesis of graphene monolayer and graphene film

The most promising method for producing pure large-area graphene is the chemical vapor deposition method (CVD method). This method is based on the decomposition of a carbon-containing gas (for example, methane) at high temperature (from 800 to 1050 C) near a catalytic substrate (for example, copper or nickel). It should be noted that the mechanisms for the formation of graphene on copper and nickel differ from each other.

 

The formation of graphene on nickel occurs in several stages:

• the decomposition of a carbon-containing gas into carbon and hydrogen atoms and the deposition of carbon atoms on a metal surface;
• with increasing temperature, carbon diffuses into nickel;
• at the final stage, when the nickel substrate is cooled, carbon atoms are squeezed out of the volume of the metal onto the surface of its surface and form a graphene film, and the film thickness depends on the amount of diffused carbon.

 

The formation of graphene on copper is much simpler:

• Carbon-containing gas decomposes into carbon and hydrogen atoms, and carbon is deposited on the surface of the metal, forming a graphene film. Moreover, carbon atoms do not diffuse into the volume of copper, since the solubility of carbon in copper is very low (1000 times lower than in nickel). Moreover, the formation of a second layer of graphene on copper does not occur, since copper acts as a catalyst during the decomposition of gas, and copper covers graphene and its catalytic activity decreases sharply.

 

To implement this method, several plants have been developed with the ability to control all synthesis parameters. At these plants, the synthesis conditions were selected for both single-layer graphene on copper and graphene film with a given number of layers on nickel.

We adapted one of our plants for the synthesis of graphene for laboratory use and put up for sale. All information about the installation can be found on the page: Equipment for graphene synthesis and in the Products section.

 

Our scientific articles on the synthesis of graphene:

[1] Control of number of graphene layers grown by chemical vapor deposition, 2010, journal Physica Status Solidi (c)

[2] Chemical Vapor Deposition of Graphene on Copper Foils, 2013, journal Journal of Nanoelectronics and Optoelectronics

[3] Chemical Vapor Deposition of Graphene on Nickel from Different Gaseous Atmospheres, 2013, journal Journal of Nanoelectronics and Optoelectronics

[4] Efficient nitrogen doping of graphene by plasma treatment, 2016, journal Carbon

[5] In Situ Control of CVD Synthesis of Graphene Film on Nickel Foil, 2017, journal Physica Status Solidi (b)

[6] Modification of graphene electronic properties via controllable gas-phase doping with copper chloride, 2018, journal Applied Physics Letters

[7] Crystallization of Thin Copper Films on Silica Substrate for Graphene Growth, 2019, journal Physica Status Solidi (b)

[8] Controlled Graphene Synthesis from Solid Carbon Sources, 2019, journal Physica Status Solidi (b)