SBIR Phase II: Roll-to-roll Production of Uniform Graphene Films at Atmospheric Pressure and Low Temperature

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目将展示和开发连续石墨烯薄膜的卷对卷生产技术。石墨烯生产技术基于石墨烯合成和石墨烯处理的创新，解决了限制石墨烯工业生产的关键缺陷。合成过程在大气压下进行，允许在通过生长区域的连续铜箔带上卷对卷形成石墨烯。这消除了对昂贵的真空炉的需要，并允许制造比炉尺寸更大的石墨烯薄膜。在第一阶段开发的石墨烯处理工艺可以将石墨烯片从金属催化剂转移到几乎任何光滑的表面，而不需要任何高温步骤，也不需要使用刺激性化学品。最重要的是，石墨烯转移保留了原始金属衬底以供重复使用。这种可重复使用的衬底大大降低了石墨烯的生产成本，并消除了生产过程中最大的废物来源。在第二阶段，我们将展示石墨烯合成和转移到新表面的连续薄膜工艺，并设计大面积卷对卷石墨烯生产系统。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过高质量，低成本石墨烯片的工业规模可用性。透明、导电、导热、坚固、柔韧、不透气，石墨烯是一种新兴的材料。超材料吗?有无数的应用，包括用于显示器和光伏的柔性透明导体；通信用高频电子器件；化学和生物传感器；腐蚀屏障;过滤和海水淡化；能量储存;还有更多。工业批量的石墨烯薄膜将使这些和其他应用的发展，对社会有实质性的好处。与竞争概念相比，我们将开发的技术在成本、质量和设计灵活性方面具有优势。该SBIR项目的成功完成将使石墨烯前沿公司成为高质量石墨烯的领先商业供应商，并以具有吸引力的价格向商业和研究界提供优质石墨烯。我们的商业模式包括销售石墨烯材料、授权我们的专有增长技术和专业产品的收入。我们的第一个基于石墨烯的产品，电子显微镜用的TEM栅格，已经和一个开发伙伴一起销售了。这些进展将使石墨烯前沿吸引更多来自投资者、客户和其他非sbir来源的资金。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will demonstrate and develop technology for the roll-to-roll production of continuous graphene films. The graphene production technology is based upon innovations in the graphene synthesis and graphene handling, addressing critical deficiencies limiting industrial manufacture of graphene. The synthesis process is performed at atmospheric pressure, allowing roll-to-roll graphene formation on continuous tapes of copper foil passed through the growth region. This eliminates the need for an expensive vacuum furnace and allows fabrication of graphene films larger than the furnace size. The graphene handling process developed during Phase I enables the transfer of graphene sheets from the metal catalyst to nearly any smooth surface without any high temperature steps and without the use of harsh chemicals. Most importantly, the graphene transfer preserves the original metal substrate for reuse. The reusable substrate dramatically reduces the cost of graphene production and eliminates the largest source of waste in the process. In Phase II, we will demonstrate the continuous film processes for graphene synthesis and transfer to new surfaces and design a large area roll-to-roll graphene production system. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is through the industrial scale availability of high quality, low cost graphene sheets. Transparent, electrically and thermally conductive, strong, flexible, and gas impermeable, graphene is an emerging ?super material? with innumerable proposed applications including flexible transparent conductors for displays and photovoltaics; high frequency electronics for communications; chemical and biological sensors; corrosion barrier; filtration and water desalination; energy storage; and many more. Industrial quantities of graphene films will enable the development of these and other applications, with substantial benefit to society. The technology that we will to develop has advantages of cost, quality, and design flexibility over competing concepts. Successful completion of this SBIR project will establish Graphene Frontiers as a leading commercial supplier of high-quality graphene to the business and research communities at an attractive price. Our business model includes revenue from sale of the graphene material, licensing of our proprietary growth technology, and specialized products. Our first graphene-based product, TEM grids for electron microscopy, is already on sale with a development partner. These advances will position Graphene Frontiers to attract additional funding from investors, customers, and other non-SBIR sources.