Monday, January 19, 2009

New method to make Graphene

Could Lead to Transparent, Bendable Electronics.

Thin, translucent sheets of graphene may one day allow electronic displays that can be folded and rolled up like a newspaper. South Korean researchers have found a way to deposit graphene using CVD, which involves evaporating a mixture of large carbon-containing molecules and firing it over a heated metal surface. The molecules break down, releasing carbon that re-organises on the surface in neat graphene sheets. The precise conditions of the experiment determine how many sheets are produced [BBC News]. The researchers used extremely thin pieces of nickel as the metal surface on which to grow the graphene, the molecules of which forms a regular hexagonal pattern similar to chicken wire. Afterward, the nickel can be chemically dissolved away, leaving behind pure graphene.

No comments: