Roll-to-Roll Mechanical Peeling for Dry Transfer of Chemical Vapor Deposition Graphene

Abstract

Scaling up graphene fabrication is a critical step for realizing industrial applications of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene, such as large-area flexible displays and solar cells. In this study, a roll-to-roll (R2R) graphene transfer system using mechanical peeling is proposed. No etching of graphene growth substrate is involved; thus, the process is economical and environmentally benign. A prototype R2R graphene transfer machine was developed. Experiments were conducted to test the effects of relevant process parameters, including linear film speed, separation angle, and the guiding roller diameter. The linear film speed was found to have the highest impact on the transferred graphene coverage, followed by the roller diameter, while the effect of separation angle was statistically insignificant. Furthermore, there was an interaction effect between the film speed and roller diameter, which can be attributed to the competing effects of tensile strain and strain rate. Overall, the experimental results showed that larger than 98% graphene coverage could be achieved with high linear film speed and large guiding roller diameter, demonstrating that a large-scale dry graphene transfer process is possible with R2R mechanical peeling.

Graphene‐Based Transparent Conductive Films: Material Systems, Preparation and Applications

“…A flexible and transparent triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) device based on the graphene/EVA/PET electrodes can achieve current density as high as 0.075 µA cm −2 . Alternatively, the separation of copper foil and graphene/polymer film can be accomplished by mechanical dry peeling . The copper/graphene/EVA/PET film is fabricated by the similar method as mentioned above.…”

Roll‐to‐Roll Dry Transfer of Large‐Scale Graphene

“…A R2R dry transfer process was recently developed by Hao et al [27] using mechanical peeling to delaminate CVD graphene from its growth substrate. In the process, a polymer-backing layer with adhesive is first laminated onto as-grown graphene, and the laminate is then peeled with two guiding rollers on a R2R machine.…”

“…The effort to achieve R2R peeling of largescale CVD graphene has just began. [27,[32][33][34] The work done by Hao et al [27] has demonstrated the feasibility of the R2R method. However, the peeling tensions were not actively controlled, and the quality of the transferred graphene needs to be dramatically improved to be comparable to that of wet-chemical etched samples.…”

Graphene transfer methods: A review

“…Interestingly, this group used their R2R transfer method to coat antique paintings with graphene to protect them from moisture and light that results in fading and discoloration over time [70]. The role of other parameters, such as the linear film speed, guiding roller diameter at the delamination point, and separation angle was investigated [71]. It is observed that the film speed and roller diameter have a significant effect on the transferred graphene coverage, and it is concluded that, a high speed and large roller diameter are favorable for effective transfer; 98% graphene coverage was achieved by optimizing the parameters (3 m/min speed and 51 mm roller diameter in this case).…”