Solid-state graphene formation via a nickel carbide intermediate phase

Xiong, Wei; Zhou, Yun Shen; Hou, Wen Jia; Guillemet, Thomas; Silvain, Jean François; Gao, Yang; Lahaye, Michel; Lebraud, Éric; Xu, Shen; Wang, X.; Cullen, David A.; More, Karren L.; Jiang, Lan; Lu, Yong Feng

doi:10.1039/c5ra18682j

Cited by 41 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…This also supports the existence of Ni 3 C phase in a wide temperature range (from room temperature to 800°C) based on the AES measurement, and its existence even at 1100°C based on the glancing-angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) measurement of the RTP growth. 49 Lindemann-index results for NiC, Ni, or a-C layers in Model VIII a-C/NiC and Model X a-C/Ni (ESI Fig. S5 †) are similar to those of Model I a-C/Ni 3 C (Fig.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 62%

An ab initio study of the nickel-catalyzed transformation of amorphous carbon into graphene in rapid thermal processing

et al. 2016

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Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations are employed to investigate the chemical mechanism underlying the Ni-catalyzed transformation of amorphous carbon (a-C) into graphene in the rapid thermal processing (RTP) experiment to directly grow graphene on various dielectric surfaces via the evaporation of surplus Ni and C at 1100 °C (below the melting point of bulk Ni). It is found that the a-C-to-graphene transformation entails the metal-induced crystallization and layer exchange mechanism, rather than the conventional dissolution/precipitation mechanism typically involved in Ni-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of graphene. The multi-layer graphene can be tuned by changing the relative thicknesses of deposited a-C and Ni thin films. Our AIMD simulations suggest that the easy evaporation of surplus Ni with excess C is likely attributed to the formation of a viscous-liquid-like Ni-C solution within the temperature range of 900-1800 K and to the faster diffusion of C atoms than that of Ni atoms above 600 K. Even at room temperature, sp(3)-C atoms in a-C are quickly converted to sp(2)-C atoms in the course of the simulation, and the graphitic C formation can occur at low temperature. When the temperature is as high as 1200 K, the grown graphitic structures reversely dissolve into Ni. Because the rate of temperature increase is considerably faster in the AIMD simulations than in realistic experiments, defects in the grown graphitic structures are kinetically trapped. In this kinetic growth stage, the carbon structures grown from sp(3)-carbon or from sp(2)-carbon exhibit marked differences.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 62%

An ab initio study of the nickel-catalyzed transformation of amorphous carbon into graphene in rapid thermal processing

et al. 2016

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“…Contrary to some previous reports, 32,35 the Ni etching process is required to remove all the traces of the metal catalyst Ni. Actually, we have found no evidence supporting the idea that the Ni fully evaporates during the RTA process above 800 C. This is also conrmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results.…”

Section: Characterization Of the Graphenementioning

confidence: 97%

“…Since both methods require a transferring process, graphene growth methods that allow for direct formation on silicon substrates have been sought aer and several attempts have been reported. [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] In this study, we developed a procedure to grow graphene from a solid-state carbon source directly on silicon substrates. To reduce the complexity of the process, the number of steps, and the cost, we have also developed a direct patterning procedure that allows to produce graphene samples with arbitrary position, size, and shape: notably this procedure does not require any dry etching process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A light emitter based on practicable and mass-producible polycrystalline graphene patterned directly on silicon substrates from a solid-state carbon source

et al. 2019

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“…Meanwhile, nickel carbide may also anticipate the growth of graphene directly in case of a high ramping rate to reach the high temperature zone suitable for high quality graphene growth before the decomposition of nickel carbide. It has been shown by the work of Xiong et al and Lu and co‐workers in which Ni and amorphous carbon layer on a substrate were heated to 1100 °C in a ramping rate of 15 °C s −1 to induce the formation, migration, and decomposition of nickel carbide and finally carbon precipitation for graphene growth . Under our ultrafast annealing conditions, the rising time from 0 to 10 A is around 10 ms, resulting in a superfast ramping rate of temperature.…”

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confidence: 99%

One Second Formation of Large Area Graphene on a Conical Tip Surface via Direct Transformation of Surface Carbide

et al. 2018

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Graphene functionalized nanotips are expected to possess promising potential for various applications based on the outstanding electrical and mechanical properties of graphene. However, current methods, usually requiring a high growth temperature and identical crystal surface to match graphene lattice, are suitable for graphene formation on a flat surface. It remains a big challenge to grow graphene on a nanosized convex surface and fabricate functionalized nanotips with high quality graphene at the apex. In this work, a novel ultrafast annealing method is developed for growing large area graphene on Ni nanotips within 1-2 s. Few layered or multiple layered graphene is presented on the apex or sidewall of the conical tip surface. Direct experimental evidences support that thus-produced graphene is formed via the direct conversion of nickel carbide at the outer surface under the instantaneous high temperature, which is different from the conventional segregation mechanism. This newly developed ultrafast method provides a new route to produce graphene efficiently and economically, promising for both convex surfaces and flat substrates. Moreover, the graphene functionalized nanotips exhibit a great potential for nanoelectrical measurements and conductive scanning probe microscopy (SPM) applications.

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Solid-state graphene formation via a nickel carbide intermediate phase

Abstract: Direct formation of graphene with a controlled number of graphitic layers on dielectric surfaces is achieved with an in-depth understanding of the solid-state growth mechanism.

Cited by 41 publications

References 25 publications

An ab initio study of the nickel-catalyzed transformation of amorphous carbon into graphene in rapid thermal processing

An ab initio study of the nickel-catalyzed transformation of amorphous carbon into graphene in rapid thermal processing

A light emitter based on practicable and mass-producible polycrystalline graphene patterned directly on silicon substrates from a solid-state carbon source

One Second Formation of Large Area Graphene on a Conical Tip Surface via Direct Transformation of Surface Carbide

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