Layer-engineered large-area exfoliation of graphene

Large-scale manufacturing processes that aim to produce two-dimensional materials (2DMs) for industrial applications are based on a competition between quality and productivity. The top-down mechanical cleavage method allows pure and perfect 2DMs, but they are a weak option for large-scale manufacture. In a new report in Science Advances, Ji-Yun Moon and a research team in energy systems, materials science, physics and nanoarchitectonics in the U.K., Japan and Korea presented a layer-engineered exfoliation technique to obtain large-scale graphene of up to a millimeter with selective thickness control. Using detailed spectroscopy and electron transport measurement analysis, the team supported the proposed spalling (fragmenting) mechanism. The layer-engineered exfoliation method will pave the way to develop an industrial process for graphene and other 2DMs, for applications in electronics and optoelectronics.