RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2015

www.PosterPresentations.com

Graphene is a material with outstanding thermal, optical and mechanical properties. The focus of my research during the 2016 summer semester was to set up and stabilize the graphene growth process through CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition). CVD is one of the most effective processes that result in high quality graphene. It is known that this process produces high purity graphene in a controlled manner on a large substrate at low cost compared to other methods. In the CVD process the substrate is exposed to precursor and carrier gases such as methane, hydrogen and argon, which react and/or decompose onto the surface to produce the desired material. This process happens in a low-pressure high heat chamber.

My research is to use this CVD method to chemically synthesize graphene onto a copper substrate. There are a number of components that can impact the quality of graphene produced. I used a statistical approach called Design Of Experiments to engineer a recipe that optimized the parameters of graphene synthesis. Parameters such as time, temperature, rate of methane flow, rate of hydrogen and rate of argon flow will determine the characteristics of graphene. After the 16 samples are collected, a detailed inspection of the quality of each sample is performed by Raman Spectroscopy. From these results, the optimal parameters will be chosen and tested further. This analysis will become the basis for scaled-up experiments in the next phase. The developed process for consistently and efficiently attaining graphene promises various applications.

Abstract

Applications of Graphene

Structure of Graphene

• Graphene is a monoatomic two dimensional layer of carbon atoms

• The structure of Graphene is arranged in a honey-comb lattice

• The bond length of the Graphene atoms is approximately 0.142 nanometers

Future WorkNext steps include: • Attaining 16 samples of graphene • Analysis through Raman Spectroscopy• Determining critical factors by examination of Raman

spectroscopy results • Comprising a summary and detailed recipe for efficient

and consistent graphene synthesis

Conclusion for Summer ResearchOur research group focused this summer on refurbishing and designing an experiment to synthesize graphene. The system has been tested and all the work needed to get the system running properly has been done.

Accomplishments: • Replaced exhaust tubing • Integrated a pressure gauge in the system• Extended support frame for improved stability • Assembled gas controlling properly with new steel

connection to prevent leaks • Designed method to insert/remove samples with an

acrylic rod

I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Cho for his support and guidance throughout this process. The OUR foundation has been helpful guiding me throughout this semester and I am appreciative of the knowledge they have provided. In addition, I would like to offer a special thanks to Chris Hughes for collaborating with me on this project.

Singh, V., Joung, D., Zhai, L., Das, S., Khondaker, S. I., & Seal, S. (2011). Graphene based materials: Past, present and future. Progress in Materials Science, 56(8), 1178-1271. doi:10.1016/j.pmatsci.2011.03.003

Narula, U., Tan, C. M., & Lai, C. S. (2016). Copper induced synthesis of graphene using amorphous carbon. Microelectronics Reliability, 61, 87-90. doi:10.1016/j.microrel.2016.01.005

Z., Lin, J., Peng, Z., Sun, Z., Zhu, Y., Li, L. Tour, J. M. (2012). Toward the Synthesis of Wafer-Scale Single-Crystal Graphene on Copper Foils. ACS Nano, 6(10), 9110-9117. doi:10.1021/nn303352k

Carlos Ramos and Chris HughesDr. Hyoung Cho, University of Central Florida, College of Engineering and Computer Science Department of

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Graphene Synthesis through Chemical Vapor Deposition

Raman Spectroscopy

• Raman Spectroscopy is the test most commonly utilized in material testing

• Raman Spectroscopy will determine the chemical composition and quality of each sample

Design Of Experiments

• Specific methodology reduces the number of experiment samples needed

• This method deciphers which factors in the experiment are the most crucial

• Recipe for graphene synthesis can be deducted from results

Experiment Set-Up

Parameters of reaction: • Gas flow of Methane, Argon and Hydrogen • Purity of the catalyst Copper • Temperature• Vacuum pressure

Acknowledgments

References

• Graphene has excellent mechanical, electrical, thermal and optical properties making it highly desirable in fields of material science and engineering

• Advances in the procedures to attain graphene have been heavily analyzed since its discovery in 2004 at the University of Manchester