New manufacturable approaches to the deposition and patterning of graphene materials

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Residential and commercial)
Energy Efficiency(Other)
Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy, Photovoltaics)
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Hydrogen, Hydrogen storage)
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Energy storage)
Not Energy Related

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor CD Wright
Engineering Computer Science and Maths
University of Exeter

Standard

EPSRC

01 February 2013

31 January 2016

36 months

£1,125,790

Materials sciences

South West

Graphene:Capital

Professor CD Wright, Engineering Computer Science and Maths, University of Exeter

Professor SJ Bending, Physics, University of Bath
Dr H Bhaskaran, Materials, University of Oxford
Dr M F Craciun, Engineering Computer Science and Maths, University of Exeter
Professor S Eichhorn, Engineering Computer Science and Maths, University of Exeter
Dr MS Hill, Chemistry, University of Bath
Dr D Horsell, Physics, University of Exeter
Dr AL Johnson, Chemistry, University of Bath
Dr G R Nash, Engineering Computer Science and Maths, University of Exeter
Dr GD Pantos, Chemistry, University of Bath
Dr SI Pascu, Chemistry, University of Bath
Professor PR Raithby, Chemistry, University of Bath
Dr S Russo, Physics, University of Exeter

Project Contact, Johnson Matthey Plc
Project Contact, Asylum Research, USA
Project Contact, Oxford Instruments plc
Project Contact, Picosun Oy, Finland
Project Contact, IBM, USA
Project Contact, SAFC Hitech
Project Contact, Thomas Swan and Co Ltd

Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms held together in a honeycomb array, has a fascinating and exotic range of properties many of which still remain underexplored and that have placed it in the vanguard of modern materials research. With possible applications in high speed electronic devices, solar cells, super capacitors, batteries, thermoelectric devices, super transistors, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), sensors, genetic sequencing and hydrogen storage materials, the potential impact of graphene is almost limitless. However, despite the interest in this fascinating material, current graphene synthesis methods, including exfoliation, epitaxial growth, graphite oxidation or chemical vapour deposition (CVD), have significant drawbacks including limits to size of thin film produced, the number of layers of graphene formed, restrictions to the types of surfaces onto which graphene layers are produced, lack of control over multilayer formation, as well as a requirement for high temperature reaction conditions and long time periods to produce high quality graphene; all of which inhibit the long term utility and eventual commercialisation of graphene-based materials. Our goal is therefore to advance and accelerate the commercial exploitation of graphene by developing new routes to the manufacture, patterning and functionalisation of graphene-based materials. Our proposal leverages the very significant existing capabilities of the EPSRC-HEFCE funded Exeter-Bath Centre for Graphene Science (CfGS), comprising over 50 academic and research staff and students working in graphene. Having made great strides in understanding and controlling the fundamental properties of graphene, we will now explore promising routes to manufacturable graphene materials, devices and systems. Specifically we will: (i) develop pioneering, high-throughput atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques for graphene, suited to industry-compatible production technology on practical substrates, (ii) investigate a 'blue-skies' approach capable of high-speed, high-resolution direct-writing of graphene

19/03/13