Investigating large area graphene and other 2D materials for real world applications

Due to the excellent electrical, optical and mechanical properties of graphene, (best in class for mobility, mechanisms and uniform absorption) this material has been hailed as a future disruptive technology in areas such as the flexible electronics industry, which itself is a multi-billion dollar market that is predicted to drastically increase. The level of interest of scientific researchers in other 2D materials beyond graphene, such as molybdenum disulphide and boron nitride, is also expanding but there are no known manufacturing routes to achieve the commercialisation as of yet.

For these atomically-thick materials to emerge from the research laboratory and progress to the factory floor, there are many measurement challenges that must be overcome. The characterisation of graphene and 2D materials, produced on a large-scale, must first be understood before developing routes to fabricate devices such as touch panels and displays that will enable application in this area. Furthermore, an ensemble of complementary characterisation techniques are required to fully understand and evaluate the variations in different structural and chemical properties, which contribute to the final electrical, optical, thermal and mechanical properties of flexible graphene electronics. This needs thorough examination, classification of distributions and standardisation. Standardisation techniques and protocols introduced by Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS) need to be adopted for these 2D materials to make them fit for real world applications.
Working at the National Graphene Metrology Centre (NGMC) at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and in partnership with the Graphene Centre at Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), University of Surrey, these metrology barriers will be investigated for the 2D materials themselves, through to prototype applications. A range of analytical techniques will be employed, such as tip-enhanced and confocal Raman spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy (SPM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).