Cyclododecane as support material for clean and facile transfer of large-area few-layer graphene

Abstract

The transfer of chemical vapor deposited graphene is a crucial process, which can affect the quality of the transferred films and compromise their application in devices. Finding a robust and intrinsically clean material capable of easing the transfer of graphene without interfering with its properties remains a challenge. We here propose the use of an organic compound, cyclododecane, as a transfer material. This material can be easily spin coated on graphene and assist the transfer, leaving no residues and requiring no further removal processes. The effectiveness of this transfer method for few-layer graphene on a large area was evaluated and confirmed by microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and four-point probe measurements. Schottky-barrier solar cells with few-layer graphene were fabricated on silicon wafers by using the cyclododecane transfer method and outperformed reference cells made by standard methods.

Rapid and highly efficient growth of graphene on copper by chemical vapor deposition of ethanol

“…The film morphology carries the memory of the copper substrate texture, as evidenced by the parallel stripes (due to the lamination process during foil manufacturing) and the polygonal shapes (footprints of the copper grains). Overall, the films grown for 20 and 60 s show the same microscopic features of those grown for 10 min or more [14,16].…”

Carbon Dots Dispersed on Graphene/SiO2/Si: A Morphological Study

“…Although PMMA is highly effective in providing mechanical stability and keeping the film intact, its final removal requires the use of solvents and is never entirely successful due to its residues, which alter the electronic properties of graphene . Cyclododecane (C 12 H 24 ) can be considered a viable alternative to PMMA during transfer . It is a non‐ toxic and eco‐friendly hydrophobic organic compound that can be easily spin coated on graphene to assist transfer, requiring no further removal treatments and leaving no contamination traces since it sublimates at ambient pressure and temperature.…”

Effects of polymethylmethacrylate-transfer residues on the growth of organic semiconductor molecules on chemical vapor deposited graphene

“…Graphene layer transfer often involves the use of polymer support, typically polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), which is challenging to subsequently remove from the graphene. [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42] Similar residues arise from lithographic patterning of graphene using resist layers. [43][44][45] Technologically relevant, large area CVD graphene is polycrystalline with a range of inherent defects, and upon transfer mono-and few-layer graphene tends to wrinkle.…”