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We demonstrate the realization of reliable, high-quality, micro-sized graphene-based field-effect devices on a flexible and transparent substrate, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET), using a convenient hot-press lamination transfer and employing parylene-N as a dielectric material for gating. Using this technique, we fabricate a graphene thermocouple on the EVA/PET substrate. Specifically, the graphene is patterned in a U-shape, and its legs are equipped with two independent top gates. Full control of the carrier density and type by electrostatic gating in the two graphene regions allow the formation of a thermocouple layout, exhibiting an enlarged thermovoltage signal when the two regions are doped with opposite types of carriers and leading to a maximum sensitivity with a thermopower of ∼73 µV/K. This agrees well with the working principle of thermocouple, and it proves the good compatibility and functionality of the graphene thermocouple on the EVA/PET substrate. Our findings suggest possible applications for producing scalable and reliable graphene-based electronic devices on flexible and transparent substrates in a simple way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We mechanically clean graphene devices using an atomic force microscope (AFM). By scanning an AFM tip in contact mode in a broom-like way over the sample, resist residues are pushed away from the desired area. We obtain atomically flat graphene with a root mean square (rms) roughness as low as 0.12 nm after this procedure. The cleaning also results in a shift of the charge-neutrality point toward zero gate voltage, as well as an increase in charge carrier mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-catalyst-free chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of large area uniform nanocrystalline graphene on oxidized silicon substrates is demonstrated. The material grows slowly, allowing for thickness control down to monolayer graphene. The as-grown thin films are continuous with no observable pinholes, and are smooth and uniform across whole wafers, as inspected by optical-, scanning electron-, and atomic force microscopy. The sp2 hybridized carbon structure is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Room temperature electrical measurements show ohmic behavior (sheet resistance similar to exfoliated graphene) and up to 13% of electric-field effect. The Hall mobility is ∼40 cm2/Vs, which is an order of magnitude higher than previously reported values for nanocrystalline graphene. Transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and transport measurements indicate a graphene crystalline domain size ∼10 nm. The absence of transfer to another substrate allows avoidance of wrinkles, holes, and etching residues which are usually detrimental to device performance. This work provides a broader perspective of graphene CVD and shows a viable route toward applications involving transparent electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most cases, transfer of chemical-vapor-deposited 2D materials from metallic foil catalysts onto a target substrate is the most necessary step for their promising fundamental studies and applications. Recently, a highly efficient and nondestructive electrochemical delamination method has been proposed as an alternative to the conventional etching transfer method, which alleviates the problem of cost and environment pollution because it eliminates the need to etch away the metals. Here, the mechanism of the electrochemical bubbling delamination process is elucidated by studying the effect of the various electrolytes on the delamination rate. A capacitor-based circuit model is proposed and confirmed by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results. A factor of 27 decrease in the time required for complete graphene delamination from the platinum cathodes is found when increasing the NaOH ratio in the electrolyte solution. The opposite trend is observed for delamination at the anode. The surface screening effect induced by nonreactive ions in the vicinity of the electrodes plays a key role in the delamination efficiency. The analysis is generic and can be used as a guideline to describe and design the electrochemical delamination of other 2D materials from their metal catalysts as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cold-wall CVD system for graphene growth on metal foils is converted to an effectively hot-wall one by merely adding another heater, sandwiching the foil in between the heaters. This simple design demonstrates both an improved temperature uniformity characteristic for hot-wall systems, and a high responsivity distinctive for cold-wall ones. This beneficial combination allows for a much better control of graphene growth kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A model of the graphene growth mechanism of chemical vapor deposition on platinum is proposed and verified by experiments. Surface catalysis and carbon segregation occur, respectively, at high and low temperatures in the process, representing the so-called balance and segregation regimes. Catalysis leads to self-limiting formation of large area monolayer graphene, whereas segregation results in multilayers, which evidently "grow from below." By controlling kinetic factors, dominantly monolayer graphene whose high quality has been confirmed by quantum Hall measurement can be deposited on platinum with hydrogen-rich environment, quench cooling, tiny but continuous methane flow and about 1000 °C growth temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Funding: This research has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 955626 and Nordic Programme for Interdisciplinary Research, grant 105121. The authors wish to make following corrections in this paper [[1]]: Additional Affiliation In the published study, there was an error regarding the affiliation for "Kornelia Indykiewicz". Additional Funding In the original publication [[1]], the funder "Nordic Programme for Interdisciplinary Research", "105121" to "Munis Khan and August Yurgens" was not included. [Extracted from the article]

We report on thermopower (TEP) and resistance measurements of inhomogeneous graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Unlike the conventional resistance of pristine graphene, the gate-dependent TEP shows a large electron-hole asymmetry. This can be accounted for by inhomogeneity of the CVD-graphene where individual graphene regions contribute with different TEPs. At the high magnetic field and low temperature, the TEP has large fluctuations near the Dirac point associated with the disorder in the CVD-graphene. TEP measurements reveal additional characteristics of CVD-graphene, which are difficult to obtain from the measurement of resistance alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum Hall effect (QHE) is observed in graphene grown by chemical vapour deposition using platinum catalyst. The QHE is even seen in samples which are irregularly decorated with disordered multilayer graphene patches and have very low mobility (<500 cm2V-1s-1). The effect does not seem to depend on electronic mobility and uniformity of the resulting material, which indicates the robustness of QHE in graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Model photocatalysts composed of TiO2–graphene nanocomposites are prepared to address the effect of graphene quality on their photocatalytic performance. Graphene is synthesized by catalyst-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD), catalyst-free CVD and solution processing methods. TiO2 is prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering and subsequent annealing. Fabricated model photocatalysts have different morphology and physical properties, as revealed using spectrophotometry, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and four-probe electrical measurements. All graphene-containing composites have significantly higher photocatalytic activity compared to bare TiO2 films in the gas phase methanol photooxidation tests. Their activity is proportional to the electrical conductivity and surface roughness of the respective carbon structure, which in turn depends on the preparation methods. The mechanisms of enhancement are further assessed by comparison with the performance of reference TiO2–graphitic-carbon and TiO2–Au thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct formation of large-area carbon thin films on gallium nitride by chemical vapor deposition without metallic catalysts is demonstrated. A high flow of ammonia is used to stabilize the surface of the GaN (0001)/sapphire substrate during the deposition at 950^\circC. Various characterization methods verify that the synthesized thin films are largely sp^2 bonded, macroscopically uniform, and electrically conducting. The carbon thin films possess optical transparencies comparable to that of exfoliated graphene. This paper offers a viable route toward the use of carbon-based materials for future transparent electrodes in III-nitride optoelectronics, such as GaN-based light emitting diodes and laser diodes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A systematic study of the Cu-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition of graphene under extremely low partial pressure is carried out. A carbon precursor supply of just \it P\bfCH_4\sim0.009 mbar during the deposition favors the formation of large-area uniform monolayer graphene verified by Raman spectra. A diluted \bf HNO_3 solution is used to remove Cu before transferring graphene onto SiO_2/Si substrates or carbon grids. The graphene can be made suspended over a \sim12 \mum distance, indicating its good mechanical properties. Electron transport measurements show the graphene sheet resistance of \sim 0.6 \bf k\Omega /\square at zero gate voltage. The mobilities of electrons and holes are \sim1800 cm^2/Vs at 4.2 K and \sim1200 cm ^2/Vs at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Transparent conductive film on a plastic substrate is a critical component in low cost, flexible and lightweight optoelectronics. CVD graphene transferred from copper- to ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foil by hot press lamination has been reported as a robust and affordable alternative to manufacture highly flexible and conductive films. Here, we demonstrate that annealing the samples at 60 ∘ C under a flow of nitrogen, after wet etching of copper foil by nitric acid, significantly enhances the Hall mobility of such graphene films. Raman, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to evaluate the morphology and chemical composition of the graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the fabrication of Bi[sub 2]Sr[sub 2]CaCu[sub 2]O[sub 8 + gamma] films and intrinsic Josephson junctions. resistance versus temperature of the films deposited from various targets; Surface morphology of the films; X-ray diffraction spectrum from the semiconductor films.

Microbial colonization to biomedical surfaces and biofilm formation is one of the key challenges in the medical field. Recalcitrant biofilms on such surfaces cause serious infections which are difficult to treat using antimicrobial agents, due to their complex structure. Early detection of microbial colonization and monitoring of biofilm growth could turn the tide by providing timely guidance for treatment or replacement of biomedical devices. Hence, there is a need for sensors, which could generate rapid signals upon bacterial colonization. In this study, we developed a simple prototype sensor based on pristine, non-functionalized graphene. The detection principle is a change in electrical resistance of graphene upon exposure to bacterial cells. Without functionalization with specific receptors, such sensors cannot be expected to be selective to certain bacteria. However, we demonstrated that two different bacterial species can be detected and differentiated by our sensor due to their different growth dynamics, adherence pattern, density of adhered bacteria and microcolonies formation. These distinct behaviors of tested bacteria depicted distinguishable pattern of resistance change, resistance versus gate voltage plot and hysteresis effect. This sensor is simple to fabricate, can easily be miniaturized, and can be effective in cases when precise identification of species is not needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The c-axis tunneling properties of both pristine Bi2212 and its HgBr[sub 2] intercalate have been measured in the temperature range 4.2 - 250 K. Lithographically patterned 7-10 unit-cell heigh mesa structures on the surfaces of these single crystals were investigated. Clear SIS-like tunneling curves for current applied in the c-axis direction have been observed. The dynamic conductance dI / dV(V) shows both sharp peaks corresponding to a superconducting gap edge and a dip feature beyond the gap, followed by a wide maximum, which persists up to a room temperature. Shape of the temperature dependence of the c-axis resistance does not change after the intercalation suggesting that a coupling between CuO[sub 2]-bilayers has little effect on the pseudogap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A noncatalytic chemical vapor deposition mechanism is proposed, where high precursor concentration, long deposition time, high temperature, and flat substrate are needed to grow large-area nanocrystalline graphene using hydrocarbon pyrolysis. The graphene is scalable, uniform, and with controlled thickness. It can be deposited on virtually any nonmetallic substrate that withstands ∼1000 °C. For typical examples, graphene grown directly on quartz and sapphire shows transmittance and conductivity similar to exfoliated or metal-catalyzed graphene, as evidenced by transmission spectroscopy and transport measurements. Raman spectroscopy confirms the sp2-C structure. The model and results demonstrate a promising transfer-free technique for transparent electrode production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-area uniform carbon films with graphene-like properties are synthesized by chemical vapor deposition directly on Si3N4/Si at 1000 °C without metal catalysts. The as deposited films are atomically thin and wrinkle- and pinhole-free. The film thickness can be controlled by modifying the growth conditions. Raman spectroscopy confirms the sp2 graphitic structures. The films show ohmic behavior with a sheet resistance of ∼2.3-10.5 kΩ/□ at room temperature. An electric field effect of ∼2-10% (VG=-20 V) is observed. The growth is explained by the self-assembly of carbon clusters from hydrocarbon pyrolysis. The scalable and transfer-free technique favors the application of graphene as transparent electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple estimations show that the thermoelectric readout in graphene radiation detectors can be extremely effective even for graphene with modest charge-carrier mobility ∼1000 cm 2 /(Vs). The detector responsivity depends mostly on the residual charge-carrier density and split-gate spacing and can reach competitive values of ∼ 10 3 – 10 4 V/W at room temperature. The optimum characteristics depend on a trade-off between the responsivity and the total device resistance. Finding out the key parameters and their roles allows for simple detectors and their arrays, with high responsivity and sufficiently low resistance matching that of the radiation-receiving antenna structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Cleaning Graphene Using Atomic Force Microscope," by Niclas Lindvall, Alexey Kalabukhov and August Yurgens that was published online on August 13, 2012 is presented.

We used the hydrostatic pressure P < 1 GPa as a tool to change the c-axis interlayer coupling of Bi[sub 2]Sr[sub 1.5]La[sub 0.5]CuO[sub 6+δ] (Bi-2201) and Bi[sub 2]Sr[sub 2]CaCu[sub 2]O[sub 8+δ] (Bi-2212) single crystals. The c-axis critical current, as a measure of the interlayer coupling, drastically increases with pressure (up to 270 % GPa[sup -1]). The superconducting critical temperature, on the contrary, only slightly increases with a rate of ≈ 2 - 6 % GPa[sup -1]. This implies that the CuO-interlayer coupling has little effect on T[sub c] in Bi-2201. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a prototype graphene radiation detector based on the thermoelectric effect. We used a split top gate to create a p-n junction in the graphene, thereby making an effective thermocouple to read out the electronic temperature in the graphene. The electronic temperature is increased due to the AC currents induced in the graphene from the incoming radiation, which is first received by an antenna and then directed to the graphene via the top-gate capacitance. With the exception of the constant DC voltages applied to the gate, the detector does not need any bias and is therefore very simple to use. The measurements showed a clear response to microwaves at 94 GHz with the signal being almost temperature independent in the 4–100 K temperature range. The optical responsivity reached ∼700 V/W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover page of the "Chemical Vapor Deposition" special section of the journal "Advanced Materials Interfaces" is presented.

Graphene contacts to p-GaN are considered as an alternative to indium–tin-oxide transparent electrodes in GaN based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). Contact properties were investigated on light-emitting diode and p-GaN test structures, where dielectric apertures were used to eliminate the influence of the metal pads used to bias the contacts. Using single layer graphene we were able to operate light emitting diodes with current densities of 300 A/cm2. Addition of a second layer of graphene increased the maximum bias current to 1 kA/cm2. However, the contacts are non-linear and cannot withstand high current densities for a long time. The results are promising but further investigation and improvement is needed for graphene to be a viable alternative to indium–tin-oxide for blue VCSELs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved technique for transferring large area graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition on copper is presented. It is based on mechanical separation of the graphene/copper by H2 bubbles during H2O electrolysis, which only takes a few tens of seconds while leaving the copper cathode intact. A semi-rigid plastic frame in combination with thin polymer layer span on graphene gives a convenient way of handling- and avoiding wrinkles and holes in graphene. Optical and electrical characterizations prove the graphene quality is better than that obtained by traditional wet etching transfer. This technique appears to be highly reproducible and cost efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molten copper is used to catalyze the graphene synthesis by chemical vapor deposition. The Cu has no grains above melting temperature, which is favorable for graphene growth. Using a vertical cold wall system, the deposition rate is drastically increased as compared with common hot-wall tube furnaces, pushing the method one step forward towards applications. A molybdenum–graphite Joule heater is used to avoid mechanical deformation of the carrier foil for the catalyst to ease the subsequent processes. The rapid deposition makes it possible to observe graphene growth on liquid Cu even at low pressure, where severe Cu evaporation simultaneously occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use a split top gate to induce doping of opposite signs in different parts of a graphene field-effect transistor, thereby effectively forming a graphene thermocouple. The thermocouple is sensitive to the electronic temperature in graphene, which can be several hundred kelvin higher than the ambient one at sufficiently high bias current. Combined with the high thermoelectric power of graphene, this allows for i) simple measurements of the electronic temperature and ii) building thermoelectric radiation detectors. A simple prototype graphene thermoelectric detector shows a temperature-independent optical responsivity of around 400 V/W at 94 GHz at temperatures of 4-50 K.

Model photocatalysts composed of TiO2-graphene nanocomposites are prepared to address the effect of graphene quality on their photocatalytic performance. Graphene is synthesized by catalyst-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD), catalyst-free CVD and solution processing methods. TiO2 is prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering and subsequent annealing. Fabricated model photocatalysts have different morphology and physical properties, as revealed using spectrophotometry, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and four-probe electrical measurements. All graphene-containing composites have significantly higher photocatalytic activity compared to bare TiO2 films in the gas phase methanol photooxidation tests. Their activity is proportional to the electrical conductivity and surface roughness of the respective carbon structure, which in turn depends on the preparation methods. The mechanisms of enhancement are further assessed by comparison with the performance of reference TiO2-graphitic-carbon and TiO2-Au thin films.