Synthesis of Graphene Based Membranes: Effect of Substrate Surface Properties on Monolayer Graphene Transfer
In this work, we report the transfer of graphene onto eight commercial microfiltration substrates having different pore sizes and surface characteristics. Monolayer graphene grown on copper by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process was transferred by the pressing method over the target substrates, followed by wet etching of copper to obtain monolayer graphene/polymer membranes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle (CA) measurements were carried out to explore the graphene layer transferability. Three factors, namely, the substrate roughness, its pore size, and its surface wetting (degree of hydrophobicity) are found to affect the conformality and coverage of the transferred graphene monolayer on the substrate surface. A good quality graphene transfer is achieved on the substrate with the following characteristics; being hydrophobic (CA > 90°), having small pore size, and low surface roughness, with a CA to RMS (root mean square) ratio higher than 2.7°/nm.
Other Information
Published in: Materials
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma10010086
Funding
Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.
History
Language
- English
Publisher
MDPIPublication Year
- 2017
License statement
This Item is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Institution affiliated with
- Hamad Bin Khalifa University
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute - HBKU