Home > Press > New study introduces the best graphite films: The work by Distinguished Professor Feng Ding at UNIST has been published in the October 2022 issue of Nature Nanotechnology
![]() |
Distinguished Professor Feng Ding at UNIST CREDIT Hong Beom Ahn |
Abstract:
High-quality graphite has excellent mechanical strength, thermal stability, high flexibility and very high in-plane thermal and electric conductivities and, thus, is one of most important advanced materials for many applications, such as being used as the light thermal conductor of cell phones. For example, a specific type of graphite, Highly Ordered Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG), is one of the mostly used lab. materials. These excellent properties originate from the layered structure of graphite, where the strong covalent binding between carbon atoms in a graphene layer contribute to the excellent mechanical properties, thermal and electric conductivities and the very weak interaction between graphene layers leads to the highly flexibility of graphite.
Although graphite has been discovered in Nature for more 1000 years and its artificial synthesis has been explored for more than 100 years, the quality of graphite samples, either Natural ones or synthesized ones, are far from ideal. Such as the size of the largest single crystalline graphite domains in graphitic materials are generally less than 1 mm, which is in sharp contrast to the size of many crystals, such as the size of quartz single crystal and silicon single crystals may reach meter scale. The very small size of single crystalline graphite is due to the weak interaction between graphite layers, where the flatness of a graphene layer is hard to be maintained during the growth process and, thus, a graphite can be easily breaks into a few single crystals with disordered grain boundaries (See Figure 1).
To solve the critical issue, Distinguished Professor of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and his collaborators, Professor Kaihui Liu, Professor Enge Wang of Peking University, and others has proposed a strategy to synthesize single-crystalline graphite films orders of magnitude large, up to inch scale. In their approach, single crystalline Ni foils are used as a substrate and caron atoms are supplied from the back side of the Ni foils through an “isothermal dissolution-diffusion-precipitation process” (See Figure 2). Instead of using gas phase carton source, they choose solid carbon materials to feed the graphite growth. Such a new strategy allows of ~1 inch single crystalline graphite films of 35 μm thick, or more than 100,000 graphene layers, within a few days. The single crystalline graphite has the recorded thermal conductivity of ~2,880 Wm-1K-1, negligible impurity contents and smallest layer distances in compare with all available graphite samples.
“This success really on a few critical issues of the experimental design: (1) the successful synthesis of large size single crystalline Ni films serves as an ultra-flat substrate and thus the disorders in the synthesized graphite can be avoided; (2) the isothermal growth of 100,000 graphene layers over ~ 100 hours allows every graphene layer be synthesized under exact same chemical environment and temperature thus ensure the uniformity of the graphite quality; (3) continuous carbon feeding through the back side of the Ni foil allows the contiguous growth of graphene layers in a very large growth rate, ~ one layer per five seconds,” Professor Ding explained.
The findings of this research have been published in the October 2022 issue of Nature Nanotechnology. This study has been jointly participated by Professor Kaihui Liu and Professor Enge Wang from Peking University.
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
JooHyeon Heo
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)
Office: +82-52-217-1223
Copyright © Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Related Links |
Related News Press |
News and information
Inverted perovskite solar cell breaks 25% efficiency record: Researchers improve cell efficiency using a combination of molecules to address different November 17th, 2023
Night-time radiative warming using the atmosphere November 17th, 2023
A new kind of magnetism November 17th, 2023
Graphene/ Graphite
Ferroelectrically modulate the Fermi level of graphene oxide to enhance SERS response November 3rd, 2023
2 Dimensional Materials
Nanoparticle quasicrystal constructed with DNA: The breakthrough opens the way for designing and building more complex structures November 3rd, 2023
What a “2D” quantum superfluid feels like to the touch November 3rd, 2023
Thin films
Understanding the mechanism of non-uniform formation of diamond film on tools: Paving the way to a dry process with less environmental impact March 24th, 2023
Thin-film, high-frequency antenna array offers new flexibility for wireless communications November 5th, 2021
Leibniz Prize winner Professor Dr. Oliver G. Schmidt moves to Chemnitz University of Technology: President Professor Dr. Gerd Strohmeier refers to an 'absolute top transfer' September 10th, 2021
Possible Futures
Shedding light on unique conduction mechanisms in a new type of perovskite oxide November 17th, 2023
Silver nanoparticles: guaranteeing antimicrobial safe-tea November 17th, 2023
Three-pronged approach discerns qualities of quantum spin liquids November 17th, 2023
Inverted perovskite solar cell breaks 25% efficiency record: Researchers improve cell efficiency using a combination of molecules to address different November 17th, 2023
Discoveries
Inverted perovskite solar cell breaks 25% efficiency record: Researchers improve cell efficiency using a combination of molecules to address different November 17th, 2023
Night-time radiative warming using the atmosphere November 17th, 2023
A new kind of magnetism November 17th, 2023
Announcements
Inverted perovskite solar cell breaks 25% efficiency record: Researchers improve cell efficiency using a combination of molecules to address different November 17th, 2023
Night-time radiative warming using the atmosphere November 17th, 2023
A new kind of magnetism November 17th, 2023
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
Inverted perovskite solar cell breaks 25% efficiency record: Researchers improve cell efficiency using a combination of molecules to address different November 17th, 2023
Night-time radiative warming using the atmosphere November 17th, 2023
A new kind of magnetism November 17th, 2023
![]() |
||
![]() |
||
The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
![]() |
![]() |
||
Premium Products | ||
![]() |
||
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
![]() |
||
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
![]() |