Edge-feeding synchronous epitaxy of layer-controlled graphene films on heterogeneous catalytic substrates
Abstract Compared with single-layer two-dimensional (2D) materials, bilayer, trilayer, and few-layer 2D materials exhibit enhanced band structure tunability, improved electrical and thermal properties, and superior mechanical strength and barrier performance. However, the layer-controlled synthesis...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60323-1 |
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| author | Buhang Chen Xiongzhi Zeng Zhetong Liu Wenlong Dong Ding Pei Huan Wang Yanyan Dong Chengjin Wu Xiaoyin Gao Hanbo Xiao Han Gao Hang Jia Aiheng Yuan Jinlong Du Heng Chen Haiyang Liu Congwei Tan Jianbo Yin Zhongkai Liu Luqi Liu Peng Gao Kostya S. Novoselov Hailin Peng Zhenyu Li Luzhao Sun Zhongfan Liu |
| author_facet | Buhang Chen Xiongzhi Zeng Zhetong Liu Wenlong Dong Ding Pei Huan Wang Yanyan Dong Chengjin Wu Xiaoyin Gao Hanbo Xiao Han Gao Hang Jia Aiheng Yuan Jinlong Du Heng Chen Haiyang Liu Congwei Tan Jianbo Yin Zhongkai Liu Luqi Liu Peng Gao Kostya S. Novoselov Hailin Peng Zhenyu Li Luzhao Sun Zhongfan Liu |
| author_sort | Buhang Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Compared with single-layer two-dimensional (2D) materials, bilayer, trilayer, and few-layer 2D materials exhibit enhanced band structure tunability, improved electrical and thermal properties, and superior mechanical strength and barrier performance. However, the layer-controlled synthesis of 2D films with high layer number uniformity remains challenging, due to the difficulty in the additional layer nucleation and the effective realization of layer-by-layer growth. Herein, we report an edge-feeding synchronous epitaxial growth mode breaking the limit of traditional epitaxy theories. An efficient heterogeneous Cu–Cu2O catalyst is demonstrated, where graphene edge-surrounding Cu2O is crucial in precursor dissociation, atomic carbon diffusion, and edge energy reduction. The synchronous growth method can be generalized to the layer-controlled synthesis of 2–7-layer graphene films. Relying on this growth strategy, we successfully achieved the industrial-scale production of homogeneous A3-sized ABA-trilayer graphene films (42 × 30 square centimeters) with good mechanical properties and peeling-transferring intactness. Our method offers a robust strategy for the layer-controlled synthesis of 2D material films. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2a7bd6accb934645a67d74147b140287 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-2a7bd6accb934645a67d74147b1402872025-08-20T03:37:38ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-60323-1Edge-feeding synchronous epitaxy of layer-controlled graphene films on heterogeneous catalytic substratesBuhang Chen0Xiongzhi Zeng1Zhetong Liu2Wenlong Dong3Ding Pei4Huan Wang5Yanyan Dong6Chengjin Wu7Xiaoyin Gao8Hanbo Xiao9Han Gao10Hang Jia11Aiheng Yuan12Jinlong Du13Heng Chen14Haiyang Liu15Congwei Tan16Jianbo Yin17Zhongkai Liu18Luqi Liu19Peng Gao20Kostya S. Novoselov21Hailin Peng22Zhenyu Li23Luzhao Sun24Zhongfan Liu25College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations (SIEMIS), Key Laboratory of Advanced Carbon Materials and Wearable Energy Technologies of Jiangsu Province, Soochow UniversityHefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of ChinaInternational Center for Quantum Materials, Electron Microscopy Laboratory, School of Physics, Peking UniversityCAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and TechnologySchool of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversityTechnology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation, Beijing Graphene InstituteTechnology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation, Beijing Graphene InstituteCollege of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations (SIEMIS), Key Laboratory of Advanced Carbon Materials and Wearable Energy Technologies of Jiangsu Province, Soochow UniversityTechnology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation, Beijing Graphene InstituteSchool of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversitySchool of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversityTechnology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation, Beijing Graphene InstituteTechnology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation, Beijing Graphene InstituteInternational Center for Quantum Materials, Electron Microscopy Laboratory, School of Physics, Peking UniversityTechnology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation, Beijing Graphene InstituteTechnology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation, Beijing Graphene InstituteCenter for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory of Photonics and Communications, School of electronics, Peking UniversitySchool of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversityCAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and TechnologyInternational Center for Quantum Materials, Electron Microscopy Laboratory, School of Physics, Peking UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering to College of Design and Engineering, National University of SingaporeTechnology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation, Beijing Graphene InstituteHefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of ChinaTechnology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation, Beijing Graphene InstituteCollege of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations (SIEMIS), Key Laboratory of Advanced Carbon Materials and Wearable Energy Technologies of Jiangsu Province, Soochow UniversityAbstract Compared with single-layer two-dimensional (2D) materials, bilayer, trilayer, and few-layer 2D materials exhibit enhanced band structure tunability, improved electrical and thermal properties, and superior mechanical strength and barrier performance. However, the layer-controlled synthesis of 2D films with high layer number uniformity remains challenging, due to the difficulty in the additional layer nucleation and the effective realization of layer-by-layer growth. Herein, we report an edge-feeding synchronous epitaxial growth mode breaking the limit of traditional epitaxy theories. An efficient heterogeneous Cu–Cu2O catalyst is demonstrated, where graphene edge-surrounding Cu2O is crucial in precursor dissociation, atomic carbon diffusion, and edge energy reduction. The synchronous growth method can be generalized to the layer-controlled synthesis of 2–7-layer graphene films. Relying on this growth strategy, we successfully achieved the industrial-scale production of homogeneous A3-sized ABA-trilayer graphene films (42 × 30 square centimeters) with good mechanical properties and peeling-transferring intactness. Our method offers a robust strategy for the layer-controlled synthesis of 2D material films.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60323-1 |
| spellingShingle | Buhang Chen Xiongzhi Zeng Zhetong Liu Wenlong Dong Ding Pei Huan Wang Yanyan Dong Chengjin Wu Xiaoyin Gao Hanbo Xiao Han Gao Hang Jia Aiheng Yuan Jinlong Du Heng Chen Haiyang Liu Congwei Tan Jianbo Yin Zhongkai Liu Luqi Liu Peng Gao Kostya S. Novoselov Hailin Peng Zhenyu Li Luzhao Sun Zhongfan Liu Edge-feeding synchronous epitaxy of layer-controlled graphene films on heterogeneous catalytic substrates Nature Communications |
| title | Edge-feeding synchronous epitaxy of layer-controlled graphene films on heterogeneous catalytic substrates |
| title_full | Edge-feeding synchronous epitaxy of layer-controlled graphene films on heterogeneous catalytic substrates |
| title_fullStr | Edge-feeding synchronous epitaxy of layer-controlled graphene films on heterogeneous catalytic substrates |
| title_full_unstemmed | Edge-feeding synchronous epitaxy of layer-controlled graphene films on heterogeneous catalytic substrates |
| title_short | Edge-feeding synchronous epitaxy of layer-controlled graphene films on heterogeneous catalytic substrates |
| title_sort | edge feeding synchronous epitaxy of layer controlled graphene films on heterogeneous catalytic substrates |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60323-1 |
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