Single-crystal, large-area, fold-free monolayer graphene

Large-area graphene minus the folds

28 February 2022

A large, single crystal of high-quality graphene that contains no folds has been fabricated.

In theory, graphene is a one-atom-thick sheet of a honeycomb array of carbon atoms. But in practice, large areas of fabricated graphene invariably contain folds and hills, which adversely affect the material’s electronic properties.

Now, 13 researchers, all from the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea, have succeeded in eliminating folds from graphene.

The team found that folds form on cooling graphene to room temperature after growing it at about 1,320 degrees Celsius. So they found a way to form graphene on a metal foil between 1,000 and 1,030 degrees Celsius, which is lower than the temperature at which folds form.

The researchers demonstrated their fold-free graphene by using it in field-effect transistors that had very high carrier mobilities. They anticipate that their material could be used to make devices with superior electronic properties.

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References

1. Nature 596, 519–524 (2021). doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03753-3