Laser-induced Graphene for Emerging Quantum and Energy Applications

Graphene, an atomically thin honeycomb lattice of carbon, has been the most widely studied nanomaterial in the field. Despite its superior electrical, thermal, mechanical, and optical properties, employing graphene as a critical component of practical devices and systems requires a novel, cost-effective manufacturing process tailed to a specific application domain. In this work, we developed a simple process flow to fabricate a centimeter-scale graphene by illuminating a laser on a polyimide (PI) substrate. This laser-induced graphene (LIG) features a very high surface area due to a porous 3D structure while providing a unique platform to tune the physical properties of a metallic layer that is placed below the PI substrate. We performed electrical (sheet resistance), microscopic (scanning electron microscope), and spectroscopic (Raman) characterizations on LIG to ensure they possess ideal properties for emerging quantum and energy applications. With ongoing efforts in integrating LIG as an interdigitated electrode for supercapacitor, we expect to increase its energy density significantly. Also, our preliminary results indicate that LIG can easily diffuse into the underlying metal during the manufacturing process, thus forming a novel form of graphene-metal nanocomposites. This has the potential to develop a high Tc superconducting material that forms the foundation of state-of-the-art quantum computing hardware.