Low-temperature synthesis of graphene by chemical vapor deposition and its applications

Graphene is currently one of the most advanced materials under study for the development of a wide range of future device applications, owing to fascinating properties such as high carrier mobility, high electrical conductivity, as well as excellent mechanical flexibility and strength. A key requirement for the practical applications of graphene is the synthesis of large-area, high-quality films at low temperature, especially below 400 °C, which would enable the direct integration of graphene into the manufacturing technologies of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or flexible devices. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), a well-known and controllable method to prepare thin films, has attracted significant attention for the synthesis of large-area, uniform graphene samples. Nonetheless, significant efforts are still needed to improve our fundamental understanding of the graphene growth mechanism; a better understanding would enable reducing the growth temperature and optimizing the engineering parameters for the fabrication of new electronic devices. This article reviews recent progress in the low-temperature synthesis of graphene by CVD, with a special focus on the key technical factors that can be controlled to drastically reduce the synthesis temperature. Furthermore, the applications of graphene grown by low-temperature CVD are discussed.