Repeated growth and bubbling transfer of graphene with millimetre-size single-crystal grains using platinum

• Published in: Nature communications 2012-02, Vol.3 (1), p.699-699, Article 699
• Main Authors: Gao, Libo, Ren, Wencai, Xu, Huilong, Jin, Li, Wang, Zhenxing, Ma, Teng, Ma, Lai-Peng, Zhang, Zhiyong, Fu, Qiang, Peng, Lian-Mao, Bao, Xinhe, Cheng, Hui-Ming
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/301/357/918; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1702

Large single-crystal graphene is highly desired and important for the applications of graphene in electronics, as grain boundaries between graphene grains markedly degrade its quality and properties. Here we report the growth of millimetre-sized hexagonal single-crystal graphene and graphene films joined from such grains on Pt by ambient-pressure chemical vapour deposition. We report a bubbling method to transfer these single graphene grains and graphene films to arbitrary substrate, which is nondestructive not only to graphene, but also to the Pt substrates. The Pt substrates can be repeatedly used for graphene growth. The graphene shows high crystal quality with the reported lowest wrinkle height of 0.8 nm and a carrier mobility of greater than 7,100 cm 2 V −1 s −1 under ambient conditions. The repeatable growth of graphene with large single-crystal grains on Pt and its nondestructive transfer may enable various applications. Grain boundaries in graphene degrade its properties, and large single-crystal graphene is desirable for electronic applications of graphene. Gao et al . develop a method to produce millimetre-sized hexagonal single-crystal graphene grains, and films composed of the grains, on platinum by chemical vapour deposition.