Flexible and Transparent Graphene Electrode Architecture with Selective Defect Decoration for Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

Graphene produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has attracted great interest as a transparent conducting material, due to its extraordinary characteristics such as flexibility, optical transparency, and high conductivity, especially in next‐generation displays. Graphene‐based novel electrodes have the potential to satisfy the important factors for high‐performance flexible organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) in terms of sheet resistance, transmittance, work function, and surface roughness. In this study, flexible and transparent graphene electrode architecture is proposed by adopting a selective defect healing technique for CVD‐grown graphene, which results in several benefits that produce high‐performance devices with excellent stabilities. The proposed architecture, which has a multi‐layer graphene structure treated by a layer‐by‐layer healing process, exhibits significant improvement in sheet resistance with high optical transparency. For improving the charge transport property and mechanical robustness, various defect sites of the CVD‐grown graphene are successfully decorated with gold nanoparticles through a simple electroplating (EP) method. Further, a graphene‐based OLED device that integrates the proposed electrode architecture on flexible substrates is demonstrated. Therefore, this architecture provides a new strategy to fabricate graphene electrode in OLEDs, extending graphene's immense potential as an advanced conductor toward high‐performance, flexible, and transparent displays.     

Schottky‐Barrier‐Controllable Graphene Electrode to Boost Rectification in Organic Vertical P–N Junction Photodiodes

Monolayer graphene is used as an electrode to develop novel electronic device architectures that exploit the unique, atomically thin structure of the material with a low density of states at its charge neutrality point. For example, a single semiconductor layer stacked onto graphene can provide a semiconductor–electrode junction with a tunable injection barrier, which is the basis for a primitive transistor architecture known as the Schottky barrier field‐effect transistor. This work demonstrates the next level of complexity in a vertical graphene–semiconductor architecture. Specifically, an organic vertical p‐n junction (p‐type pentacene/n‐type N,N′‐dioctyl‐3,4,9,10‐perylenedicarboximide (PTCDI‐C₈)) on top of a graphene electrode constituting a novel gate‐tunable photodiode device structure is fabricated. The model device confirms that controlling the Schottky barrier height at the pentacene–graphene junction can (i) suppress the dark current density and (ii) enhance the photocurrent of the device, both of which are critical to improve the performance of a photodiode.     

Large‐Scale Synthesis of Bi‐layer Graphene in Strongly Coupled Stacking Order

Large‐scale synthesis of single‐layer graphene (SLG) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has received a lot of attention recently. However, CVD synthesis of AB stacked bi‐layer graphene (BLG) is still challenging. Here, we report synthesis of BLG homogeneously at large scale by thermal CVD. The 2D Raman band of CVD BLG splits into four components, suggesting splitting of electronic bands due to strong interlayer coupling. The splitting of electronic bands in CVD BLG is further evidenced by the study of near infrared absorption and carrier dynamics are probed by transient absorption spectroscopy. UV photoelectron spectroscopy invesigation also indiates CVD BLG possesses different electronic structures to those of CVD SLG. The growth mechanism of BLG is found to be related to catalytic activity of the copper (Cu) surface, which is determined by the purity of Cu foils employed in the CVD process. Our work shows that strongly coupled or even AB stacked BLG can be grown on Cu foils at large scale, which is of particular importance for device applications based on their split electronic bands.     

Stiff and Transparent Multilayer Thin Films Prepared Through Hydrogen‐Bonding Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly of Graphene and Polymer

Due to their exceptional orientation of 2D nanofillers, layer‐by‐layer (LbL) assembled polymer/graphene oxide thin films exhibit unmatched mechanical performance relative to any conventionally produced counterparts with similar composition. Unprecedented mechanical property improvement, by replacing graphene oxide with pristine graphene, is demonstrated in this work. Polyvinylpyrrolidone‐stabilized graphene platelets are alternately deposited with poly(acrylic acid) using hydrogen bonding assisted LbL assembly. Transmission electron microscopy imaging and the Halpin‐Tsai model are used to demonstrate, for the first time, that intact graphene can be processed from water to generate polymer nanocomposite thin films with simultaneous parallel‐alignment, high packing density, and exfoliation. A multilayer thin film with only 3.9 vol% of highly exfoliated, and structurally intact graphene, increases the elastic modulus (E) of a polymer multilayer thin film by 322% (from 1.41 to 4.81 GPa), while maintaining visible light transmittance of ≈90%. This is one of the greatest improvements in elastic modulus ever reported for a graphene‐filled polymer nanocomposite with a glassy (E > 1 GPa) matrix. The technique described here provides a powerful new tool to improve nanocomposite properties (mechanical, gas transport, etc.) that can be universally applied to a variety of polymer matrices and 2D nanoplatelets.     

Autonomously Controlled Homogenous Growth of Wafer‐Sized High‐Quality Graphene via a Smart Janus Substrate

The work reports a new method for large‐area growth of graphene films, which have been predicted to have novel and broad applications in the future. While chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is currently the preferred method, it suffers from a rather narrow processing window, and there is also much to be desired in the electrical properties of the CVD films. A new method for large‐area growth of graphene films is reported to overcome the narrow processing window of the CVD method. A composite substrate made of a C‐dissolving top (Ni) layer and a C‐rejecting bottom (Cu) layer is designed, which evolves into a C‐rejecting mixture, to autonomously regulate the C content at an elevated yet stable level at and near the surface over an extended duration. This “smart” substrate promotes graphene formation over a wide temperature‐gas composition window, leading to reliable growth of wafer‐sized graphene films of defined layer‐thickness and superior electrical–optical properties. This “smart”‐substrate strategy can also be implemented on Si and SiO₂ supports, paving the way toward the direct fabrication of large area, graphene‐enabled electronic and photonic devices.     

Rewritable,Moldable, and Flexible Sticker‐Type Organic Memory on Arbitrary Substrates

Fabrication of functional devices on arbitrary non‐conventional substrates has significant advantages for broadening devices applications and the development of soft electronic systems such as flexible, stretchable, wearable, and epidermal electronic modules. Information storage device is one of crucial electronic elements in modern digital circuitries. Herein, a re‐writable, transferable, and flexible sticker‐type organic memory on universal substrates is demonstrated through a facile and cost‐effective one‐step strategy. The organic memory sticker based on the graphene electrode grown by chemical vapor deposition consists of a blending composite of polymer (poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA):poly (3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in chlorobenzene (CB) fabricated by mature solution processes and facilities. By combining with the mechanical elastic of organic material and graphene electrode, the sticker‐type organic memory can be easily tagged on non‐planar or flexible substrates after etching away the supporting metal. Particularly, the new attachable sticker‐type memory processes a unique feature of re‐programmable capability. It is believed that the universal substrate selectivity of the sticker‐type organic memory with re‐writable characteristic revealed here may greatly enlarge information storage devices in immense areas and advance the future functional soft circuitries.     

Growth of Large Crystalline Grains of Vanadyl‐Phthalocyanine without Epitaxy on Graphene

The performance of organic semiconductor thin films in electronic devices is related to their crystal structure and morphology, with charge transport mobility dependent on the degree of crystallinity and on the crystallographic orientation. Here organic molecular beam deposition of vanadyl phthalocyanine is studied on graphene and it is shown that crystalline grains up to several micrometers across can be formed at substrate temperatures of 155 °C, compared to room temperature grain sizes of ≈30 nm. Transmission electron microscopy confirms the presence of long range order at elevated substrate temperatures and reveals that the molecules are stacked in an edge‐on orientation, but are not epitaxially aligned to the graphene. The crystalline grain sizes are significantly larger on graphene than on disordered substrates such as graphene oxide and silicon oxide. The effect on charge transport is probed by conducting atomic force microscopy, with the high temperature films on graphene showing increased mobility and uniformity and decreased trap density. These results illustrate an important advantage for the integration of graphene electrodes with organic semiconductor devices: the homogeneous surface of graphene results in high diffusion and low nucleation rates for thin film growth, encouraging the formation of highly crystalline films even with nonepitaxial growth.     

Vacancy‐Controlled Contact Friction in Graphene

Defects‐controlled friction in graphene is of technological importance in many applications, but the underlying mechanism remains a subject of debate. Here it is shown that, during the controlled oxidation in oxygen plasma and subsequent reduction induced by high‐energy photons, the contact friction in chemical vapor deposition grown graphene is dominantly determined by the vacancies formed instead of the bonding with add‐atoms. This effect is attributed to the vacancy‐enhanced out‐of‐plane deformation flexibility in graphene, which tends to produce large puckering of graphene sheet near the contact edge and thus increases the effective contact area. Modified graphene with large contact friction has a large density of defects, but remains a good electrical conductor, in which the carrier transport is strongly affected by quantum localization effects even at room temperature. It is also found that the oxidation process in graphene is substrate‐sensitive. Comparing to monolayer graphene on SiO₂ substrate, the oxidation process progresses much faster when the substrate is SrTiO₃, while bilayer graphene exhibits great oxidation resistance on both substrates. The collection of observations provides important information for tailoring the mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties of graphene through selected defects and substrates.     

Large‐Area Schottky Barrier Transistors Based on Vertically Stacked Graphene–Metal Oxide Heterostructures

The fabrication of all‐transparent flexible vertical Schottky barrier (SB) transistors and logic gates based on graphene–metal oxide–metal heterostructures and ion gel gate dielectrics is demonstrated. The vertical SB transistor structure is formed by (i) vertically sandwiching a solution‐processed indium‐gallium‐zinc‐oxide (IGZO) semiconductor layer between graphene (source) and metallic (drain) electrodes and (ii) employing a separate coplanar gate electrode bridged with a vertical channel through an ion gel. The channel current is modulated by tuning the Schottky barrier height across the graphene–IGZO junction under an applied external gate bias. The ion gel gate dielectric with high specific capacitance enables modulation of the Schottky barrier height at the graphene–IGZO junction over 0.87 eV using a voltage below 2 V. The resulting vertical devices show high current densities (18.9 A cm^?2) and on–off current ratios (>10⁴) at low voltages. The simple structure of the unit transistor enables the successful fabrication of low‐power logic gates based on device assemblies, such as the NOT, NAND, and NOR gates, prepared on a flexible substrate. The facile, large‐area, and room‐temperature deposition of both semiconducting metal oxide and gate insulators integrates with transparent and flexible graphene opens up new opportunities for realizing graphene‐based future electronics.     

Phthalocyanine‐Based 2D Conjugated Metal‐Organic Framework Nanosheets for High‐Performance Micro‐Supercapacitors

2D conjugated metal‐organic frameworks (2D c‐MOFs) are emerging as a novel class of conductive redox‐active materials for electrochemical energy storage. However, developing 2D c‐MOFs as flexible thin‐film electrodes have been largely limited, due to the lack of capability of solution‐processing and integration into nanodevices arising from the rigid powder samples by solvothermal synthesis. Here, the synthesis of phthalocyanine‐based 2D c‐MOF (Ni₂[CuPc(NH)₈]) nanosheets through ball milling mechanical exfoliation method are reported. The nanosheets feature with average lateral size of ≈160 nm and mean thickness of ≈7 nm (≈10 layers), and exhibit high crystallinity and chemical stability as well as a p‐type semiconducting behavior with mobility of ≈1.5 cm² V^?1 s^?1 at room temperature. Benefiting from the ultrathin feature, the nanosheets allow high utilization of active sites and facile solution‐processability. Thus, micro‐supercapacitor (MSC) devices are fabricated mixing Ni₂[CuPc(NH)₈] nanosheets with exfoliated graphene, which display outstanding cycling stability and a high areal capacitance up to 18.9 mF cm^?2; the performance surpasses most of the reported conducting polymers‐based and 2D materials‐based MSCs.     

Electronic Transport Properties of Ensembles of Perylene‐Substituted Poly‐isocyanopeptide Arrays

The electronic transport properties of stacks of perylene‐bis(dicarboximide) (PDI) chromophores, covalently fixed to the side arms of rigid, helical polyisocyanopeptides, are studied using thin‐film transistors. In device architectures where the transistor channel lengths are somewhat greater than the average polymer chain length, carrier mobilities of order 10^?3 cm² V^?1 s^?1 at 350 K are found, which are limited by inter‐chain transport processes. The influence of π–π interactions on the material properties is studied by using PDIs with and without bulky substituents in the bay area. In order to attain a deeper understanding of both the electronic and the electronic‐transport properties of these systems, studies of self‐assembly on surfaces are combined with electronic characterization using Kelvin probe force microscopy, and also a theoretical study of electronic coupling. The use of a rigid polymer backbone as a scaffold to achieve a full control over the position and orientation of functional groups is of general applicability and interest in the design of building blocks for technologically important functional materials, as well as in more fundamental studies of chromophoric interactions.     

Synergistic Roll‐to‐Roll Transfer and Doping of CVD‐Graphene Using Parylene for Ambient‐Stable and Ultra‐Lightweight Photovoltaics

A roll‐to‐roll (R2R) transfer technique is employed to improve the electrical properties of transferred graphene on flexible substrates using parylene as an interfacial layer. A layer of parylene is deposited on graphene/copper (Cu) foils grown by chemical vapor deposition and are laminated onto ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/poly(ethylene terephthalate). Then, the samples are delaminated from the Cu using an electrochemical transfer process, resulting in flexible and conductive substrates with sheet resistances of below 300 Ω sq^?1, which is significantly better (fourfold) than the sample transferred by R2R without parylene (1200 Ω sq^?1). The characterization results indicate that parylene C and D dope graphene due to the presence of chlorine atoms in their structure, resulting in higher carrier density and thus lower sheet resistance. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the binding energy between parylene and graphene is stronger than that of EVA and graphene, which may lead to less tear in graphene during the R2R transfer. Finally, organic solar cells are fabricated on the ultrathin and flexible parylene/graphene substrates and an ultra‐lightweight device is achieved with a power conversion efficiency of 5.86%. Additionally, the device shows a high power per weight of 6.46 W g^?1 with superior air stability.     

8% Efficient thin‐film polycrystalline‐silicon solar cells based on aluminum‐ induced crystallization and thermal CVD

A considerable cost reduction could be achieved in photovoltaics if efficient solar cells could be made from polycrystalline‐silicon (pc‐Si) thin films on inexpensive substrates. We recently showed promising solar cell results using pc‐Si layers obtained by aluminum‐induced crystallization (AIC) of amorphous silicon in combination with thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD). To obtain highly efficient pc‐Si solar cells, however, the material quality has to be optimized and cell processes different from those applied for standard bulk‐Si solar cells have to be developed. In this work, we present the different process steps that we recently developed to enhance the efficiency of pc‐Si solar cells on alumina substrates made by AIC in combination with thermal CVD. Our present pc‐Si solar cell process yields cells in substrate configuration with efficiencies so far of up to 8·0%. Spin‐on oxides are used to smoothen the alumina substrate surface to enhance the electronic quality of the absorber layers. The cells have heterojunction emitters consisting of thin a‐Si layers that yield much higher V_oc values than classical diffused emitters. Base and emitter contacts are on top of the cell in interdigitated finger patterns, leading to fill factors above 70%. The front surface of the cells is plasma textured to increase the current density. Our present pc‐Si solar cell efficiency of 8% together with the fast progression that we have made over the last few years indicate the large potential of pc‐Si solar cells based on the AIC seed layer approach. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ultrathin Sticker‐Type ZnO Thin Film Transistors Formed by Transfer Printing via Topological Confinement of Water‐Soluble Sacrificial Polymer in Dimple Structure

To create ultrathin sticker‐type electronic devices that can be attached to unconventional substrates, it is highly desirable to develop printable membrane‐type electronics on a handling substrate and then transfer the printing to a target surface. A facile method is presented for high‐efficiency transfer printing by controlling the interfacial adhesion between a handling substrate and an ultrathin substrate in a systematic manner under mild conditions. A water‐soluble sacrificial polymer layer is employed on a dimpled handling substrate, which enables the topological confinement of the polymer residue inside and near the dimples during the etching and drying processes to reduce the interfacial adhesion gently, creating a high yield of transfer printing in a deterministic manner. As an example of an electronic device that was created using this method, a highly flexible sticker‐type ZnO thin film transistor was successfully developed with a thickness of 13 μm including a printable ultrathin substrate, which can be attached to various substrates, such as paper, plastic, and stickers.     

A Transparent,Flexible, Low‐Temperature,and Solution‐Processible Graphene Composite Electrode

The synthesis and preparation of a new type of graphene composite material suitable for spin‐coating into conductive, transparent, and flexible thin film electrodes in ambient conditions is reported here for the first time. Solution‐processible graphene with diameter up to 50 μm is synthesized by surfactant‐assisted exfoliation of graphite oxide and in situ chemical reduction in a large quantity. Spin‐coating the mixing solution of surfactant‐functionalized graphene and PEDOT:PSS yields the graphene composite electrode (GCE) without the need for high temperature annealing, chemical vapor deposition, or any additional transfer‐printing process. The conductivity and transparency of GCE are at the same level as those of an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. Importantly, it exhibits high stability (both mechanical and electrical) in bending tests of at least 1000 cycles. The performance of organic light‐emitting diodes based on a GCE anode is comparable, if not superior, to that of OLEDs made with an ITO anode.     

High‐Performance Photo‐Electrochemical Photodetector Based on Liquid‐Exfoliated Few‐Layered InSe Nanosheets with Enhanced Stability

The band gap of few‐layered 2D material is one of the significant issues for the application of practical devices. Due to the outstanding electrical transport property and excellent photoresponse, 2D InSe has recently attracted rising attention. Herein, few‐layered InSe nanosheets with direct band gap are delivered by a facile liquid‐phase exfoliation approach. We have synthesized a photoelectrochemical (PEC)‐type few‐layered InSe photodetector that exhibits high photocurrent density, responsivity, and stable cycling ability in KOH solution under the irradiation of sunlight. The detective ability of such PEC InSe photodetector can be conveniently tuned by varying the concentration of KOH and applied potential suggesting that the present device can be a fitting candidate as an excellent photodetector. Moreover, extendable optimization of the photodetection performance on InSe nanosheets would further enhance the potential of the prepared InSe in other PEC‐type devices such as dye‐sensitized solar cells, water splitting systems, and solar tracking equipment.     

A Flexible Reduced Graphene Oxide Field‐Effect Transistor for Ultrasensitive Strain Sensing

A new kind of flexible strain sensor based on a reduced graphene oxide field‐effect transistor (rGO FET) with ultrasensitivity, stability, and repeatability for the detection of tensile and compressive strains is demonstrated. The novelty of the rGO FET strain sensor is the incorporation of a rGO channel as a sensing layer in which the electrical resistance can be greatly modified upon application of an extremely low level of strain resulting in an intrinsically amplified sensing signal. The rGO FET device is ultrasensitive to extremely low strain levels, as low as 0.02%. Due to weak coupling between adjacent nanosheets, therefore, upon applying small levels of strain into the rGO thin film, a modulation of the internanosheet resistance (R_inter) is expected, inducing a large change in the transconductance of the rGO FET. Using a simple printing and self‐assembly process, the facile fabrication of an rGO FET array over a large area is also demonstrated. In addition, the device can detect small and rapid physical movements of the human body.     

Inkjet Printed Large‐Area Flexible Few‐Layer Graphene Thermoelectrics

Graphene‐based organic nanocomposites have ascended as promising candidates for thermoelectric energy conversion. In order to adopt existing scalable printing methods for developing thermostable graphene‐based thermoelectric devices, optimization of both the material ink and the thermoelectric properties of the resulting films are required. Here, inkjet‐printed large‐area flexible graphene thin films with outstanding thermoelectric properties are reported. The thermal and electronic transport properties of the films reveal the so‐called phonon‐glass electron‐crystal character (i.e., electrical transport behavior akin to that of few‐layer graphene flakes with quenched thermal transport arising from the disordered nanoporous structure). As a result, the all‐graphene films show a room‐temperature thermoelectric power factor of 18.7 µW m^?1 K^?2, representing over a threefold improvement to previous solution‐processed all‐graphene structures. The demonstration of inkjet‐printed thermoelectric devices underscores the potential for future flexible, scalable, and low‐cost thermoelectric applications, such as harvesting energy from body heat in wearable applications.     

Soft Processing of Graphene Nanosheets by Glycine‐Bisulfate Ionic‐Complex‐Assisted Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite for Reduction Catalysis

This study demonstrates a mild, environmentally friendly, and cost‐effective soft processing approach for the continuous synthesis of high‐quality, few‐layer graphene nanosheets. This has been achieved via electrochemical exfoliation of graphite, using an environmentally friendly glycine‐bisulfate ionic complex and was performed under ambient reaction conditions. Graphene nanosheets with 2–5 layers were obtained under optimized exfoliation conditions using a 15 wt% glycine‐bisulfate (aqueous) solution, with working biases of +1 V and +3 V applied for 5 min. The role of the glycine‐bisulfate ionic complex in the electrochemical exfoliation process was confirmed through comparison with a control experiment using only sulfuric acid as the electrolyte. A plausible electrochemical exfoliation mechanism that involves the formation of surface molecule nuclei via the polymerization of intercalated monomeric HSO₄^? and SO₄^2? ions is proposed. The ionic complex plays a key role in the anodic graphite exfoliation via electrochemical‐potential‐induced intercalation, leading to an efficient expansion of graphite sheets via the insertion of oxygen functional groups.     

Direct Low‐Temperature Integration of Nanocrystalline Diamond with GaN Substrates for Improved Thermal Management of High‐Power Electronics

A novel approach for the direct synthetic diamond–GaN integration via deposition of the high‐quality nanocrystalline diamond films directly on GaN substrates at temperatures as low as 450–500 °C is reported. The low deposition temperature allows one to avoid degradation of the GaN quality, which is essential for electronic applications The specially tuned growth conditions resulted in the large crystalline diamond grain size of 100–200 nm without coarsening. Using the transient “hot disk” measurements it is demonstrated that the effective thermal conductivity of the resulting diamond/GaN composite wafers is higher than that of the original GaN substrates at elevated temperatures. The thermal crossover point is reached at ≈95–125 °C depending on the thickness of the deposited films. The developed deposition technique and obtained thermal characterization data can lead to a new method of thermal management of the high power GaN electronic and optoelectronic devices.