Low-temperature growth and direct transfer of graphene-graphitic carbon films on flexible plastic substrates.

We demonstrate low-temperature growth and direct transfer of graphene-graphitic carbon films (G-GC) onto plastic substrates without the use of supporting materials. In this approach, G-GC films were synthesized on copper layers by using inductively coupled plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, enabling the growth of few-layer graphene (G) on top of Cu and the additional growth of graphitic carbon (GC) films above the graphene layer at temperatures as low as 300 °C. The patterned G-GC films are not easily damaged or detached from the polymer substrates during the wet etching and transfer process because of the van der Waals forces and π-π interactions between the films and the substrates.