Spyros N. Yannopoulos, Aspasia Antonelou Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas – Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (FORTH/ICE-HT), P.O. Box 1414, GR-26504, Rio-Patras, Greece After one decade of systematic fundamental research on graphene, it is generally agreed that many of the graphene superior physical properties are currently well understood. A major experimental challenge is now related to the of high-quality graphene and graphene-based structures, which is a prerequisite to transform laboratory graphene science into viable technological applications. Established methods for high-quality graphene growth (e.g., CVD, epitaxial growth on SiC) suffer from disadvantages (energy intensive, requirement for transfer, etc.), which constitute serious obstacles to the prospects of graphene for fast integration in widespread technologies. The full potential of laser-assisted methods in graphene productions has not yet been unlocked, despite that these methods offer a number of advantages. Laser wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet to infrared have been used both in the cw and pulsed modes. In their vast majority, studies of laser-assisted methods result in graphene of dubious quality. We present recent advances in our laboratory concerning the laser-assisted growth of graphene. In particular, we will present activities related to (i) the growth of epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001) using a continuous wave infrared CO2 laser (10.6 μm); (ii) production 3D porous graphene-like scaffolds through the decomposition of SiC micron-sized particles; and (iii) the growth of graphene films by decomposing various organic substances using pulsed lasers. [1] S. N. Yannopoulos, A. Siokou, N. Nasikas, V. Dracopoulos, F. Ravani, and G. N. Papatheodorou, “CO2 Laser-Induced Growth of Epitaxial Graphene on SiC (0001)”, Adv. Funct. Mater. 22, 113–120 (2012). DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201101413. [2] A. Antonelou, V. Dracopoulos and S. N. Yannopoulos, “Laser processing of SiC: From graphene-coated SiC particles to 3D graphene froths”, Carbon 85, 176–184 (2015). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2014.12.091.  Spyros Yannopoulos obtained his PhD from the University of Patras (1997) on the structure and dynamics of non-crystalline solids. He is currently a Principal Researcher at FORTH/ICE-HT specializing on advanced amorphous materials and nanomaterials. His research activities are focused on a molecular-based level understanding of materials’ properties and phenomena in hard and soft condensed matter employing experimental and (recently) computational methods. Main research activities include studies of disordered solids (glasses, amorphous films), photonic applications of amorphous semiconductors, nanostructured materials with specific functionalities (nanostructured oxides for nanophotonics, hydrogen evolution, energy conversion applications and gas sensing). He has been involved in the exploration of laser-assisted methods for graphene synthesis using a variety of organic and inorganic (carbides) substances. Recent activities include also the fabrication of 2-D crystals (TMDChs) and the study of their catalytic activities in solar cell devices. He has published 118 papers in peer-reviewd journals and 12 chapters in international books. |
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