Process for the production of two-dimensional nanomaterials

• US 10,640,866 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2015
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oxford University Innovation Limited (University of Oxford)
• Original Assignee: Oxford University Innovation Limited (University of Oxford)
• Inventors: Babenko, Vitaliy, Grobert, Nicole
• Primary Examiner(s): Minskey, Jacob T
• Application Number:
  US15/300,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20170114450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 21/064 with boron
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 21/0646 Preparation by pyrolysis of boron and nitrogen containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2204/02 Single layer graphene
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/186 by chemical vapour deposition [CVD]
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 35/08 Compounds containing boron and nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, sulfur, selenium or tellurium
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/003 Coating on a liquid substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/01 on temporary substrates, e.g. substrates subsequently removed by etching
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/26 Deposition of carbon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/305 Sulfides, selenides, or tellurides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/342 Boron nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/40 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/44 characterised by the method of coating C23C16/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/734 Fullerenes, i.e. graphene-based structures, such as nanohorns, nanococoons, nanoscrolls or fullerene-like structures, e.g. WS2 or MoS2 chalcogenide nanotubes, planar C3N4, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/843 Gas phase catalytic growth, i.e. chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for producing a two-dimensional nanomaterial, the process comprising forming the two-dimensional nanomaterial on a surface of a substrate by CVD, wherein said surface is a liquid surface which comprises a molten eutectic compound. Substrates and substrate precursors for use in said process are also provided.

Claims

1. A process for producing a two-dimensional nanomaterial, the process comprising forming the two-dimensional nanomaterial on a surface of a substrate by chemical vapour deposition (CVD), wherein said surface is a liquid surface which comprises a molten eutectic compound, wherein the two-dimensional nanomaterial is graphene, a graphene derivative, boron nitride, or a transition metal chalcogenide, and wherein the two-dimensional nanomaterial comprises from 1 to 20 monolayers and has a thickness of from 0.3 nm to 10 nm, wherein the eutectic compound is a metal silicide.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the eutectic compound is a platinum silicide, a palladium silicide, a copper silicide or a nickel silicide.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the process further comprises a step of forming the substrate from a substrate precursor, wherein the substrate precursor comprises a first layer formed of a first material and, disposed on a surface thereof, a second layer formed of a second material, wherein the substrate is formed by conditioning the substrate precursor such that the first material and the second material react to form the eutectic compound.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein the first material comprises a metal.

5. The process according to claim 4, wherein the metal is a transition metal selected from platinum, palladium, copper, and nickel.

6. The process according to claim 5, wherein the transition metal is platinum or palladium.

7. The process according to claim 3, wherein the first layer comprises one or more topological defects or grain boundaries that are concealed by the second layer.

8. The process according to claim 3, wherein the second material comprises a silicon-containing species.

9. The process according to claim 8, wherein the second material comprises one or more of Si, SiO, SiO₂, and SiN.

10. The process according to claim 9, wherein the second material comprises SiO₂.

11. The process according to claim 3, wherein the substrate and the two-dimensional nanomaterial are both formed in the same CVD chamber.

12. The process according to claim 1, wherein the step of forming the two-dimensional nanomaterial comprises contacting the liquid surface with one or more precursors for the two-dimensional nanomaterial.

13. The process according to claim 1, wherein the process further comprises:

(i) a step of cooling the substrate and the two-dimensional nanomaterial formed thereon; and

/or (ii) a step of separating the two-dimensional nanomaterial from the substrate.

14. The process according to claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional nanomaterial is an electrical conductor and the process further comprises forming a layer of an electrical insulator in contact with said two-dimensional nanomaterial, optionally wherein the process comprises forming said layer of electrical insulator from said substrate.

15. The process according to claim 1, wherein the process further comprises forming an electronic device comprising said two-dimensional nanomaterial.

16. The process according to claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional nanomaterial is graphene, a graphene derivative, boron nitride or a transition metal chalcogenide.

17. The process according to claim 16, wherein the two-dimensional nanomaterial is graphene.