Invited Paper GR+TF+NC-MoM9
Wafer-Scale Synthesis and Electrochemical Property of Graphene Formed by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Monday, October 20, 2008, 11:00 am, Room 306

The recent experimental breakthroughs on graphene-based nanoelectronics have triggered enormous academic activities. Among the production methods of graphene, mechanical exfoliation of graphite and surface evaporation of SiC are widely used. Despite the successful fabrication in surface evaporation of SiC, process integration of graphene into the well-established Si-based technology remains a challenging task. In view of this, it is also desirable to develop a reliable and large-scale (or wafer-based) production of graphene for practical applications. In this presentation, we will demonstrate a novel synthetic route for graphene growth on silicon substrate by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD). The resultant nanoarchitecture exhibits a wall-like morphology with a high density of sharp edges. Structure wise, each nanowall is composed of SiC decorated by a few layer of graphene (i.e. concrete paint on concrete wall). Moreover, direct deposition of Pt nanostructures onto these graphene samples is also performed to explore their potentials for electrochemical energy applications. Preliminary cyclic voltammetry studies for electro-oxidation of methanol show a high ratio of forward anodic peak current to reverse peak current, suggesting an efficient oxidation of methanol to CO2 on the Pt/graphene electrode. The effective suppression in the reverse cathodic peak current probably suggests a selective growth of Pt on graphene. Other electrochemical properties (such as electron-transfer kinetics and chemical reactivity) of MPECVD-grown graphene will also be addressed in this presentation. Our synthetic approach offers an alternative route toward wafer-scale fabrication of graphene for fundamental research and opens up various potential applications in nanoelectronics, sensing, catalysis, and energy production.