Recent Advances in Graphene Patterning

Abstract

As an emerging field of research, graphene patterning has received considerable attention because of its ability to tailor the structure of graphene and the respective properties, aiming at practical applications such as electronic devices, catalysts, and sensors. Recent efforts in this field have led to the development of a variety of different approaches to pattern graphene sheets, providing a multitude of graphene patterns with different shapes and sizes. These established patterning techniques in combination with graphene chemistry have paved the road towards highly attractive chemical patterning approaches, establishing a very promising and vigorously developing research topic. In this review, an overview of commonly used strategies is presented that are categorized into top‐down and bottom‐up routes for graphene patterning, focusing mainly on new advances. Other than the introduction of basic concepts of each method, the advantages/disadvantages are compared as well. In addition, for the first time, an overview of chemical patterning techniques is outlined. At the end, the challenges and future perspectives in the field are envisioned.

Patterning of graphene using wet etching with hypochlorite and UV light

“…Various patterning approaches have been proposed, including bottom-up fabrication methods and top-down etching processes involving lithography 9 . Bottom-up fabrication includes the spatially selective synthesis of graphene arrays by patterning of catalysts 10 , 11 , or selective decomposition of silicon carbide (SiC) to form graphene arrays 12 .…”

“…Bottom-up fabrication includes the spatially selective synthesis of graphene arrays by patterning of catalysts 10 , 11 , or selective decomposition of silicon carbide (SiC) to form graphene arrays 12 . Selective synthesis methods suffer from a variety of limitations, including the use of harsh synthesis conditions, complicated steps, demanding large-scale preparation, and structural limitations 9 . By contrast, top-down patterning by etching of designed areas is expected to be an effective strategy.…”

Evolution of Graphene Patterning: From Dimension Regulation to Molecular Engineering

“…As such, research in this respect is quite intriguing and this emerging field has raised tremendous interest in recent years. [ 11 ] Another significant advantage of chemical patterning is the band gap engineering of graphene because, for example, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) can be carved out. This bandgap regulation is essential for realizing the application of graphene in field effect transistors (FETs, the most promising application) since graphene lacks a bandgap and cannot confine electrons.…”

“…To date, numerous such approaches have been developed to pattern graphene sheets, which can be classified into top‐down and bottom‐up routes based on processing characteristics. [ 11,19,20 ] Inspired by the theoretical results and the easy access to large‐area graphene sheets, the top‐down strategy was first attempted. This method enables graphene patterning by employing energetic carving tools to cleave CC bonds and to rip off carbon atoms of a prefabricated graphene sheet.…”

“…Depending on the selected process, a series of techniques have been developed including catalytic nanoparticle cutting, lithography, direct writing, unzipping carbon nanotubes, among others. [ 11 ] In contrast to post‐processing features involved in the top‐down approach, the bottom‐up route allows the graphene sheet to be directly patterned without cleaving pre‐existing CC bonds. For this approach, graphene patterns can be generated by substrate‐assisted growth, surface‐mediated coupling, and solution synthesis.…”