Journal article
Graphene-driven growth of large-area ultrathin Mo2C
Graphene and 2D Materials (Cham), v 9(3), pp 289-299
09 Apr 2025
Abstract
Two-dimensional transition metal carbides, particularly chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown molybdenum carbide (Mo
2
C), are promising for next-generation electronic applications. However, achieving large-area, high-quality single crystals with controlled thickness remains challenging due to the non-self-limiting nature of conventional CVD. Moreover, Mo
2
C synthesis is often accompanied by undesired graphene coverage, necessitating additional processing steps that can degrade its electronic properties. Here, we present a graphene-driven approach that enables the direct synthesis of ultrathin Mo
2
C on copper without an external carbon source. Through systematic comparative experiments, we elucidate the role of graphene in Mo
2
C synthesis via CVD and develop a novel method marked as Process Route 3
,
where graphene serves as the sole carbon source, eliminating the need for CH
4
. We demonstrate that annealing a layered Mo/Cu/graphene film at 1100 °C enables the complete transformation of graphene into Mo
2
C. At this temperature, graphene tearing exposes a fresh liquid Cu surface. Mo atoms diffuse from the underlying Mo foil through molten Cu and react with carbon coming from the graphene layer via surface diffusion. This process enables preferential lateral growth
,
allowing Mo
2
C crystals to expand with minimal impingement, resulting in thin (~ 10 nm), well-faceted Mo
2
C domains with lateral sizes reaching up to 60 µm. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirm the high-quality orthorhombic structure of the synthesized Mo
2
C, while Raman spectroscopy verifies the complete conversion of graphene, yielding graphene-free Mo
2
C. This study provides a deeper understanding of metal carbide formation via CVD, overcomes key limitations of conventional approaches, and offers a viable route toward the scalable fabrication of large-area Mo
2
C with potential applications in high-performance electronics.
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Details
- Title
- Graphene-driven growth of large-area ultrathin Mo2C
- Creators
- Elif Okay - Micro and Nanotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, TOBB University of Economics and TechnologyOmer Caylan - TOBB University of Economics and TechnologyEren Atli - Department of Materials Science and Nanotechnology Engineering, TOBB University of Economics and TechnologyGokay Adabasi - Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California MercedMehmet Z. Baykara - Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California MercedYury Gogotsi - Drexel University, Materials Science and EngineeringGoknur Cambaz Buke - Micro and Nanotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Department of Materials Science and Nanotechnology Engineering, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Graphene and 2D Materials (Cham), v 9(3), pp 289-299
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- FA9550‐22‐1‐0358, FA9550-18-1-7048, and FA9550-22-1-0418; FA9550‐22‐1‐0358, FA9550-18-1-7048, and FA9550-22-1-0418; FA9550‐22‐1‐0358, FA9550-18-1-7048, and FA9550-22-1-0418; FA9550‐22‐1‐0358, FA9550-18-1-7048, and FA9550-22-1-0418; FA9550‐22‐1‐0358, FA9550-18-1-7048, and FA9550-22-1-0418 / Air Force Office of Scientific Research (https://doi.org/10.13039/100000181)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Other Identifier
- 991022048371304721