Ultrathin Graphene Intercalation in PEDOT:PSS/Colorless Polyimide-Based Transparent Electrodes for Enhancement of Optoelectronic Performance and Operational Stability of Organic Devices.

A novel flexible transparent electrode (TE) having a trilayer-stacked geometry and high optoelectronic performance and operational stability was fabricated by the spin coating method. The trilayer was composed of an ultrathin graphene (Gr) film sandwiched between a transparent and colorless polyimide (TCPI) layer and a methanesulfonic acid (MSA)-treated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) layer containing dimethylsulfoxide and Zonyl fluorosurfactant (designated as MSA-PDZ film). The introduction of solution-processable TCPI enabled the direct formation of high-quality graphene on organic surfaces with a clean interface.

Designing artificial 2D crystals with site and size controlled quantum dots.

Ordered arrays of quantum dots in two-dimensional (2D) materials would make promising optical materials, but their assembly could prove challenging. Here we demonstrate a scalable, site and size controlled fabrication of quantum dots in monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS), and quantum dot arrays with nanometer-scale spatial density by focused electron beam irradiation induced local 2H to 1T phase change in MoS. By designing the quantum dots in a 2D superlattice, we show that new energy bands form where the new band gap can be controlled by the size and pitch of the quantum dots in the superlattice.

Intercalation Doped Multilayer-Graphene-Nanoribbons for Next-Generation Interconnects.

Copper-based interconnects employed in a wide range of integrated circuit (IC) products are fast approaching a dead-end due to their increasing resistivity and diminishing current carrying capacity with scaling, which severely degrades both performance and reliability. Here we demonstrate chemical vapor deposition-synthesized and intercalation-doped multilayer-graphene-nanoribbons (ML-GNRs) with better performance (more than 20% improvement in estimated delay per unit length), 25%/72% energy efficiency improvement at local/global level, and superior reliability w.r.

Ultraviolet photoconductive devices with an n-GaN nanorod-graphene hybrid structure synthesized by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition.

The superior photoconductive behavior of a simple, cost-effective n-GaN nanorod (NR)-graphene hybrid device structure is demonstrated for the first time. The proposed hybrid structure was synthesized on a Si (111) substrate using the high-quality graphene transfer method and the relatively low-temperature metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process with a high V/III ratio to protect the graphene layer from thermal damage during the growth of n-GaN nanorods. Defect-free n-GaN NRs were grown on a highly ordered graphene monolayer on Si without forming any metal-catalyst or droplet seeds.

High-Performance Planar Perovskite Optoelectronic Devices: A Morphological and Interfacial Control by Polar Solvent Treatment.

Highly efficient planar perovskite optoelectronic devices are realized by amine-based solvent treatment on compact TiO2 and by optimizing the morphology of the perovskite layers. Amine-based solvent treatment between the TiO2 and the perovskite layers enhances electron injection and extraction and reduces the recombination of photogenerated charges at the interface.

Enhancement of seawater corrosion resistance in copper using acetone-derived graphene coating.

We show that acetone-derived graphene coating can effectively enhance the corrosion efficiency of copper (Cu) in a seawater environment (0.5-0.6 M (∼3.

Monolithic graphene oxide sheets with controllable composition.

Graphene oxide potentially has multiple applications and is typically prepared by solution-based chemical means. To date, the synthesis of a monolithic form of graphene oxide that is crucial to the precision assembly of graphene-based devices has not been achieved. Here we report the physical approach to produce monolithic graphene oxide sheets on copper foil using solid carbon, with tunable oxygen-to-carbon composition.

In situ observations of gas phase dynamics during graphene growth using solid-state carbon sources.

A single-layer graphene has been uniformly grown on a Cu surface at elevated temperatures by thermal processing of a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) film in a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) system under vacuum. The detailed chemistry of the transition from solid-state carbon to graphene on the catalytic Cu surface was investigated by performing in situ residual gas analysis while PMMA/Cu-foil samples were being heated, in conjunction with interrupted growth studies to reconstruct ex situ the heating process. The data clearly show that the formation of graphene occurs by vaporizing hydrocarbon molecules from PMMA, such as methane and/or methyl radicals, which act as precursors, rather than by the direct graphitization of solid-state carbon.

One-step graphene coating of heteroepitaxial GaN films.

Today, state-of-the-art III-Ns technology has been focused on the growth of c-plane nitrides by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using a conventional two-step growth process. Here we show that the use of graphene as a coating layer allows the one-step growth of heteroepitaxial GaN films on sapphire in a MOCVD reactor, simplifying the GaN growth process. It is found that the graphene coating improves the wetting between GaN and sapphire, and, with as little as ~0.

Facile synthesis of few-layer graphene with a controllable thickness using rapid thermal annealing.

Few-layer graphene films with a controllable thickness were grown on a nickel surface by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) under vacuum. The instability of nickel films in air facilitates the spontaneous formation of ultrathin (<2-3 nm) carbon- and oxygen-containing compounds on a nickel surface; thus, the high-temperature annealing of the nickel samples without the introduction of intentional carbon-containing precursors results in the formation of graphene films. From annealing temperature and ambient studies during RTA, it was found that the evaporation of oxygen atoms from the surface is the dominant factor affecting the formation of graphene films.

Near room-temperature synthesis of transfer-free graphene films.

Large-area graphene films are best synthesized via chemical vapour and/or solid deposition methods at elevated temperatures (~1,000 °C) on polycrystalline metal surfaces and later transferred onto other substrates for device applications. Here we report a new method for the synthesis of graphene films directly on SiO(2)/Si substrates, even plastics and glass at close to room temperature (25-160 °C). In contrast to other approaches, where graphene is deposited on top of a metal substrate, our method invokes diffusion of carbon through a diffusion couple made up of carbon-nickel/substrate to form graphene underneath the nickel film at the nickel-substrate interface.