Plastic-Based Graphene Could Offer an Affordable Substitute

Plastic-Based Graphene Could Offer an Affordable Substitute
Jul-05-14
A new plastic-based graphene substitute that is easy to mass-produce could replace graphene use in solar cells and semiconductor chips.

The current option for mass producing graphene involves a complicated eight-step process that requires both a catalyst and an extensive transfer process. Both of these processes are time-consuming, and the transfer process can cause the manufactured graphene to wrinkle and crack—reducing its quality.

To simplify the process, researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology developed a carbon nanosheet that cuts the production process down to two steps. By coating a quartz substrate with a polymer solution and heating it at extremely high temperatures, the team was able to eliminate the need for a catalyst and transfer process, which also removed the steps most likely to damage the material. As an added bonus, the nanosheets can also function as transparent electrodes for organic solar cells.


The new manufacturing technique is based on the way carbon fiber is currently mass produced, which would make the transition to large-scale manufacturing much simpler.

Image: A transparent carbon nano sheet (15 mm)

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