Techniques for graphene growth include:
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Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): This is one of the most promising methods for producing high-quality monolayer graphene on large areas. In CVD, a hydrocarbon gas source is used, and the growth occurs either through carbon diffusion and segregation in a metal substrate with high carbon solubility (e.g., Ni) or by surface adsorption in metal with low carbon solubility (e.g., Cu). The vapor-trapping method, a specific CVD technique, involves using a large and a small quartz tube where CH4/H2 is flown into the large tube and Cu foil is loaded into the small tube. This method allows for the growth of large-grain graphene flowers by creating a quasistatic reactant gas distribution and reducing carbon supply.
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Liquid-Phase Exfoliation: This method involves exfoliating bulk graphite within a solvent using energy, typically non-aqueous solvents like n-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) or aqueous solutions with a surfactant. The energy for exfoliation can come from ultrasonic horn sonication or high shear forces. This method is suitable for mass production but generally results in lower electrical quality compared to CVD.
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Sublimation of Silicon Carbide (SiC): This method involves the thermal decomposition of a SiC substrate in an ultrahigh vacuum to minimize contamination. The excess carbon on the surface rearranges to form a hexagonal lattice, resulting in epitaxial graphene. However, this method is costly and requires large amounts of Si for large-scale production.
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Direct Growth on Non-Metallic Substrates: This approach involves growing graphene directly on non-metallic surfaces, which have weaker catalytic activity compared to metallic surfaces. This can be compensated by using high temperatures, metal-assisted catalysis, or plasma-enhanced CVD. Although the quality of graphene produced by this method is not as high, it is considered a potential method for future industrial applications.
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2D Hybrids: This technique involves hybridizing graphene with other 2D materials to improve technological applications. For example, using hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) films as substrates can improve the current-voltage characteristics of graphene FETs. These hybrids can be created by stacking materials either in a layer-by-layer transfer or through direct growth, with the latter offering scalability and less contamination.
Each of these methods has its advantages and challenges, with CVD being the most widely used for high-quality, large-area graphene production due to its relative cost-effectiveness and scalability.
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