Processing of Monolayer Materials Via Interfacial Reactions
AssigneeBrookhaven Science Associates, LLC
InventorsPeter Werner Sutter, Eli Sutter
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Abstract
A method of forming and processing of graphene is disclosed based on exposure and selective intercalation of the partially graphene-covered metal substrate with atomic or molecular intercalation species such as oxygen (O2) and nitrogen oxide (NO2). The process of intercalation lifts the strong metal-carbon coupling and restores the characteristic Dirac behavior of isolated monolayer graphene. The interface of graphene with metals or metal-decorated substrates also provides for controlled chemical reactions based on novel functionality of the confined space between a metal surface and a graphene sheet.
Claims25
A method of processing graphene, the method comprising,
- providing a graphene layer in which graphene interacts with a surface of a metal substrate under the graphene layer;
- exposing the surface of the metal substrate to an ambient gas;
- and
- tuning the graphene-substrate interaction by interfacial reaction of the ambient gas on the surface of the metal substrate.
A method of processing graphene via interfacial reactions, the method comprising,
- providing a graphene layer in which graphene interacts with a surface of a metal substrate under the graphene layer;
- exposing the surface of the metal substrate to an ambient gas,
- the metal substrate selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh) and the ambient gas selected from the group consisting of oxygen (O2), nitrogen oxide (NO2), nitrogen (N2), hydrogen (H2), chlorine (Cl), fluorine (F), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and ammonia (NH3);
- and
- tuning the graphene-substrate interaction by interfacial reaction of the ambient gas on the surface of the metal surface,
- wherein tuning the graphene-substrate interaction comprises:
- intercalating the ambient gas between the graphene layer and the surface of the metal substrate at temperatures below 400° C.;
- and
- modifying the graphene-substrate interaction or decoupling the graphene from the metal substrate as a result of the ambient gas intercalation.
A method of performing chemical reactions at an interface between graphene and a metal, the method comprising,
- exposing a surface of a metal substrate under a graphene layer to chemical species chosen from the group consisting of atomic species, molecular species, and a combination thereof;
- performing chemical reactions of the chemical species with each other or with the surface of the metal substrate in a space beneath the graphene layer by intercalation, and
- regulating intercalation by varying reaction parameters of partial pressures of all chemical species, sample temperature, and sequence of exposure to different reactant species, which can be simultaneous or sequential with different waiting and exposure times.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.