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Luigi Colombo & Rodney S.
Ruoff talk with ScienceWatch.com and answer a few
questions about this month's Fast Breaking Paper Paper in the
field of Multidisciplinary.
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Article Title: Large-Area Synthesis of High-Quality and
Uniform Graphene Films on Copper Foils
Authors: Li, XS;Cai, WW;An, JH;Kim, S;Nah, J;Yang, DX;Piner,
R;Velamakanni, A;Jung, I;Tutuc, E;Banerjee, SK;Colombo,
L;Ruoff, RS
Journal: SCIENCE, Volume: 324, Issue: 5932, Page: 1312-1314,
Year: JUN 5 2009
* Texas Instruments Inc, Dallas, TX 75243 USA.
* Texas Instruments Inc, Dallas, TX 75243 USA.
* Univ Texas Austin, Dept Mech Engn, Austin, TX 78712
USA.
* Univ Texas Austin, Texas Mat Inst, Austin, TX 78712
USA.
* Univ Texas Austin, Dept Elect & Comp Engn, Microelect Res
Ctr, Austin, TX 78758 USA.
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Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
Researchers have an intense interest in large-area growth of monolayer
graphene so that they can use the material for a wide range of fundamental
studies and explore its potential for many applications. Our paper teaches
how to make monolayer graphene of essentially any area—square meters,
and even in "endless" lengths.
We believe that this synthesis method of monolayer graphene is enabling
many researchers to think about, evaluate, and demonstrate the use of
graphene for many applications that were not possible before because of the
limited film size and lack of uniformity in thickness.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
We were the first group to grow large-area monolayer graphene, and we
achieved this by using a metal type that had not been used before, namely
copper. We exploited use of copper foil as an inexpensive substrate to grow
monolayer graphene, but the technique is not limited to this type of Cu
substrate.
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Coauthor:
Rodney S. Ruoff
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We benefited from work by others, including those in the surface science
community, where fundamental science has been done for close to 40 years on
the growth of graphene on small single crystal metal substrates such as
nickel, ruthenium, and so on.
We would characterize our work, therefore, as a discovery of a new process
and growth mechanism that benefited from fundamental work done over the
past 40 years by the surface science community and materials scientists who
established phase diagrams.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman's terms?
Very large area one-atom-thick carbon films arranged in a hexagonal array,
called graphene, were synthesized for the first time. The discovery of this
graphene process will enable scientists and engineers to evaluate the use
of graphene for many applications, including transparent conductive
electrodes, thermal management, nanoelectronics, and potentially many more.
How did you become involved in this research, and
were there any problems along the way?
We were interested in developing approaches that would allow for fine
control of the number of graphene layers in a large-area film, including
achieving monolayer only over large areas.
Dr. Xuesong Li, a postdoctoral fellow at UT Austin, and other coauthors,
contributed strongly to this effort.
Rod Ruoff: I've been studying carbon materials
(fullerenes, nanotubes, graphene, diamond, amorphous carbons) for about 20
years. My group first published seminal papers on multilayer graphene in
1999, and on the use of colloids of small graphene platelets to make
composite materials in high-profile journals in the past decade.
Luigi Colombo: I'm a materials scientist with Texas
Instruments collaborating with Ruoff's group over the past two years as a
member of the Nanoelectronic Research Initiative (NRI).
NRI's primary objective is to develop a new switch for the semiconductor
industry for devices beyond the 15-nm node. NRI has been co-funding
research and development on graphene and graphene-based devices since 2006.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
Because of the unique properties of graphene and our pioneering work in the
synthesis of these films, we foresee continued development and improvement
of materials for electronic applications, thermal management, and even
more.
Do you foresee any social or political
implications for your research?
Not directly, but it could have a significant impact on the future of the
electronics industry, displays, thermal management, etc.
Luigi Colombo, Ph.D.
TI Fellow
External Research and Development
Texas Instruments Inc.
Dallas, TX, USA
Prof. Rodney S. Ruoff
Cockrell Family Regents Chair
Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Texas Materials
Institute
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX, USA
Web
KEYWORDS: FEW-LAYER GRAPHENE; EPITAXIAL GRAPHENE; CARBON; SOLUBILITY;
TRANSISTOR; SURFACES; DEVICE; NICKEL; SILVER; GOLD.
