The disadvantages of graphene coating primarily revolve around the challenges in its production and the impact of defects on its performance. Graphene's quality is significantly influenced by the conditions of its Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) production, including cooling rates, substrate quality, and the presence of impurities. Additionally, the transfer process of graphene films from their growth substrates to application substrates can introduce defects and contamination, affecting the final performance of the graphene in various applications.
Production Challenges:
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Quality Control in CVD Production: The quality of graphene produced via CVD is highly dependent on the cooling conditions and the quality of the substrate. Variations in cooling rates and hydrocarbon concentrations can lead to different nucleation and growth behaviors, affecting the uniformity and quality of the graphene layer. Poor substrate quality, such as copper substrates not properly treated to prevent oxidation, can also degrade the quality of the graphene.
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Impurities and Contamination: The process of depositing carbon atoms onto the substrate can be influenced by the presence of hydrogen gases and other reaction gases, which can affect the graphene's quality. This highlights the need for precise control over the chemical environment during production.
Transfer Process Issues:
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Introduction of Defects: The transfer of graphene films from catalytic metal substrates to application substrates involves a complex process that includes the use of PMMA as a temporary support, etching of the metal substrate, and cleaning steps. Each of these steps can introduce defects or contamination into the graphene, which can degrade its electrical and mechanical properties.
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Uniformity and Performance: The transfer process must be meticulously controlled to ensure that the graphene maintains its desired properties, such as low sheet resistance and high carrier mobility, particularly for applications in electronics and optoelectronics. However, the reality is that "real" graphene often contains defects and impurities, which can limit its performance compared to "ideal" graphene.
Utilization of Real Graphene:
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Adaptation of Device Fabrication Techniques: The presence of defects and contamination in graphene necessitates the development of new device fabrication techniques that can optimize the use of graphene's properties despite these imperfections. This includes understanding how these defects affect interfacial interactions and transport properties.
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Identification of Appropriate Applications: It is crucial to identify applications where the properties of "real" graphene, rather than "ideal" graphene, can be effectively utilized. For instance, applications that require low sheet resistance and good uniformity may tolerate more defects than those requiring high-quality graphene with perfect crystal structure and high carrier mobility.
In summary, while graphene coatings offer significant potential in various industries, the challenges in their production and transfer processes, along with the impact of defects and contamination, present substantial disadvantages that need to be addressed to fully realize their benefits.
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