Eco-Friendly Deposition of Catalyst-Free Graphene on Diverse Substrates

Abstract

The increasing demand for environmentally friendly and low-energy consumption fabrication methods has slowed the advancement of graphene technology. In this work, a catalyst-free method is presented for the deposition of high-quality graphene on diverse substrates using ethylene. Through the utilization of a low-pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique at ambient temperature, followed by flash annealing, it demonstrates the growth of graphene films on diverse substrates including silicon, silicon dioxide, metal foils, quartz, fluorine doped tin oxide, glass and polyamide, without the reliance on metal catalysts. The approach employs ethylene as a carbon donor free of a reducing agent, hence ensuring minimal environmental impact during the fabrication process. It also allows direct deposition on desired medium without the need for further complex transfer process. Comprehensive characterizations confirm the successful formation of graphene films with uniform thickness of 3–10 layers and with high structural integrity while showcasing a resistivity of 3.52·10⁻⁴ Ω.cm. Thanks to its superhydrophobic nature, the graphene directly deposited onto scanning microwave microscopy tip demonstrates an improved resolution as compared to a graphene-free tip. The eco-friendly approach, coupled with its versatility regarding the substrate compatibility, offers promising prospects for sustainable graphene production.