NAnotechnology: Graphene preparation Christina Cox Quentin Eustace
Overview Graphene’s properties Goals of experimentation Six experiments Graphene exfoliation Future exploration
Graphene Properties: Applications: Electrically conductive Transparent 100 times stronger than steel Flexible Applications: Microelectronics Transistors operate higher frequency Display screens in mobile devices Sensors to diagnose diseases Lithium-ion batteries recharge faster
Goals Vary current to obtain a uniform copper film. Supply additives to the solution to control the rate of the plating process. Manipulate time to adjust thickness of desired copper film. Use scotch tape to quickly obtain at least 10nm of graphene.
Experiment 1 25 minutes applying 10-30 mA Great thickness differentiation
Experiment 2 3 minutes applying 1 mA Copper crystals 1 1 1 orientation
Experiment 3 10 minutes applying 1 mA Crystal alignment Uniformity increases
Experiment 4 10 minutes applying 10 mA Copper clusters
Experiment 5 30 minutes applying 2 mA Process is improving
Experiment 6 60 minutes applying 0.5 mA The most uniform film
Graphene Exfoliation The process of folding and peeling apart graphite on scotch tape.
Results Low current for a long period of time provided best results. Additives controlled the rate of the electroplating process. Graphene exfoliation obtained small area of graphene.
Future Goals Minimize the amount of clusters present in the final film. Further experiment on the ideal amount of time, current, and the chemical composition of the bath. Experiment with uniformly plated copper film as substrate during graphene growth. Determine the optimum process for electroplating copper.
Questions and Answers