I have seen some resources on the Internet that claim to be able to make sheets of graphene (single atom thick lattice of hex-bonding carbon) from commercial off the shelf materials and a modest lab setup. I have great interest in graphene and would like to attempt the manufacture but I don't want to waste my time with bunk. Can anyone recommend a tried and proven way to manufacture without very elaborate and expensive lab?
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asked May 5, 2017 at 21:21
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$\begingroup$ Making it can simply involve Sellotape and graphite, reportedly, Knowing you've made it, and collecting it, requires the lab. $\endgroup$– user_1818839Commented May 6, 2017 at 8:43
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$\begingroup$ Acfording to the wiki, none of them seems easy. Maybe the molten salt method seems most realistic. $\endgroup$– peterhCommented May 8, 2017 at 0:26
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1 Answer
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The short answer is, anyone can make graphene, but knowing you did or doing anything with it requires a bit more equipment.
I work with people who work with graphene. This is not the only way to make graphene, but it is how they do it. They use Scotch tape to pull apart graphite crystals repeatedly. Then the Scotch tape with lots of little flakes gets attached to a Si wafer with an oxide layer, and is carefully peeled away. Some flakes are left behind. Usually the wafer already has had "align markers" for an SEM patterned on it using lithography.
The next step is using an optical microscope to identify suitably thin flakes that may be monolayers. The nearby align markers are noted. Then, further cleanroom processing allows them to deposit electrical contacts and do electrical measurements.
Hope that answers your question!
