Abstract
We used large area, monolayer graphene epitaxially grown on SiC (0001) as contact electrodes for polymer nanofiber devices. Our fabrication process, which avoids polymer resist residues on the graphene surface, results in graphene-polyaniline nanofiber devices with Ohmic contacts and electrical conductivity comparable to that of Au-nanofiber devices. We further checked the thermal stability of the graphene contacts to polyaniline devices by annealing up to T = 800 °C, the temperature at which polyaniline nanofibers are carbonized but the graphene electrode remains intact. The thermal stability and Ohmic contact of polymer nanofibers are demonstrated here, which together with the chemical stability and atomic flatness of graphene, make epitaxial graphene on SiC an attractive contact material for future all-carbon electronic devices.
Highlights
Conductive polymers are promising platforms for the generation of carbon-based electronics.With these organic materials, the variety of devices that have already been developed span a wide range of applications that include flexible field–effect transistors [1], actuators [2], sensors [3], and nano-optoelectronic devices [4]
We further checked the thermal stability of the device by annealing it at 800 ◦ C under argon flow and upon annealing, we found that the graphene electrodes remained operational and the PANI nanofibers were carbonized as confirmed by current-voltage (I-V) characterization and Raman spectroscopy
This Al layer is removed in the last fabrication process, and its role is to prevent graphene from directly contacting organic resist that degrades the graphene-nanofiber interface
Summary
Conductive polymers are promising platforms for the generation of carbon-based electronics.With these organic materials, the variety of devices that have already been developed span a wide range of applications that include flexible field–effect transistors [1], actuators [2], sensors [3], and nano-optoelectronic devices [4]. Efficient injection and extraction of charges between the contact electrode and the active channel is often complicated due to the incompatibility between organic channels and inorganic contacts [5,6]. In this sense, carbon-based contacts [5], and graphene, are appealing solutions to interface organic polymers to the outer world and materialize the vision of all-carbon electronics [5,7]. Graphene as an electrical contact has Crystals 2017, 7, 378; doi:10.3390/cryst7120378 www.mdpi.com/journal/crystals
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