Direct Metal‐Free Chemical Vapor Deposition of Graphene Films on Insulating Substrates for Micro‐Supercapacitors with High Volumetric Capacitance

Abstract

What is the most significant result of this study?Through a chemical-vapor-deposition growth of high-quality graphene films directly on fused silica substrates, we eliminated a need of a sacrificial metal catalyst and achieved transfer-free integration into efficient micro-supercapacitors. How would you describe to the layperson the most significant result of this study?Graphene is a rising star material for energy-storage devices, especially for supercapacitors due to its excellent electronic properties. However, it is still challenging to achieve very good electronic properties through more scalable and economical producing methods. So far, the most promising approach for large-scale production of high-quality graphene relies on chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The CVD method involves decomposition of carbon-containing molecules like methane and acetylene at high temperatures of > 1000°C and allows for growth of graphene layer on metal surfaces, typically copper foils. However, integration of thus-grown graphene films into energy-storage devices require multiple film transfer processes, removing the metal catalyst. To this end, we have developed a metal-catalyst-free method for producing high-quality graphene films directly on insulating substrates by choosing a proper molecular precursor in the CVD growth. We have achieved transfer-free, direct integration of thus-grown gra-phene films into micro-supercapacitors and demonstrated high-volumetric capacitance. What was the inspiration for this cover design?We were inspired by the urgent desire of roll-to-roll production of graphene films through our metal-free chemical vapour deposition method, allowing for highly simplified and efficient integration into energy-storage devices. Who contributed to the idea behind the cover?Invited for this month's cover picture is the group of Prof. Dr. Klaus Müllen. The cover picture shows the direct metal-free chemical vapor deposition of graphene films on insulating substrates and their integration into high-volumetric capacitive micro-supercapacitors. Read the full text of the Article at

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“…The best values of volumetric capacitance acquired with either CV or GCD, are comparable to the ones reported in the literature 6,87 and almost one order of magnitude higher than GO-CNT-NiO electrodes also obtained with RIMAPLE. 46 reactions take place, producing a partial semicircle loop.…”

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“…Therefore, preparing graphene films on the surface of semiconductors and insulating materials (such as Si, SiO 2 , and sapphire) is often necessary. However, since these substrates have no catalytic effect on the formation of graphene, the preparation of graphene on the surface of these insulating materials remains challenging [6][7][8].…”