SP2-Bonded Carbon Structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019202174-A1
Application number	US-201816229668-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 21, 2018
Priority date	Dec 28, 2017
Publication date	Jul 4, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A microstructure comprises a plurality of interconnected units wherein the units are formed of graphene tubes. The graphene tubes may be formed by photo-initiating the polymerization of a monomer in a pattern of interconnected units to form a polymer microlattice, removing unpolymerized monomer, coating the polymer microlattice with a metal, removing the polymer microlattice to leave a metal microlattice, depositing graphitic carbon on the metal microlattice, converting the graphitic carbon to graphene, and removing the metal microlattice.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A microstructure comprising:
a plurality of interconnected units including at least a first unit formed of first graphene tubes; and a second unit formed of second graphene tubes wherein one or more of the second graphene tubes are connected to one or more of the first graphene tubes.

2 . The microstructure recited in claim 1 wherein the graphene tubes are arranged in an ordered structure and form symmetric patterns that repeat along the principal directions of three-dimensional space.

3 . The microstructure recited in claim 1 wherein the graphene tubes form a rigid structure.

4 . The microstructure recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of interconnected units forms a microlattice.

5 . The microstructure recited in claim 1 wherein the graphene tubes are hollow.

6 . The microstructure recited in claim 1 wherein the graphene tubes are interconnected by chemical electronic bonds.

7 . A method of forming a graphene microstructure comprising:
photo-initiating the polymerization of a monomer in a pattern of interconnected units to form a polymer microlattice; removing unpolymerized monomer; coating the polymer microlattice with a metal; removing the polymer microlattice to leave a metal microlattice; depositing graphitic carbon on the metal microlattice; converting the graphitic carbon to graphene; and removing the metal microlattice.

8 . The method recited in claim 7 wherein photo-initiating the polymerization of the monomer comprises passing collimated light through a photomask.

9 . The method recited in claim 7 wherein photo-initiating the polymerization of the monomer comprises multi-photon lithography.

10 . The method recited in claim 7 wherein coating the polymer microlattice with a metal comprises the electroless deposition of copper or nickel.

11 . The method recited in claim 7 wherein the polymer microlattice comprises polystyrene or poly(methyl methacrylate).

12 . A graphene microstructure prepared by the process comprising the steps of:
photo-initiating the polymerization of a monomer in a pattern of interconnected units to form a polymer microlattice; removing unpolymerized monomer; coating the polymer microlattice with a metal; removing the polymer microlattice to leave a metal microlattice; depositing graphitic carbon on the metal microlattice; converting the graphitic carbon to graphene; and removing the metal microlattice.

13 . The graphene microstructure recited in claim 12 wherein photo-initiating the polymerization of the monomer comprises passing collimated light through a photomask.

14 . The graphene microstructure recited in claim 12 wherein photo-initiating the polymerization of the monomer comprises multi-photon lithography.

15 . The graphene microstructure recited in claim 12 wherein coating the polymer microlattice with a metal comprises the electroless deposition of copper or nickel.

16 . The graphene microstructure recited in claim 12 wherein the polymer microlattice comprises polystyrene or poly(methyl methacrylate).

17 . A method of forming a metal microstructure comprising:
photo-initiating the polymerization of a monomer in a pattern of interconnected units to form a polymer microlattice; removing unpolymerized monomer; coating the polymer microlattice with a metal; and removing the polymer microlattice to leave a microlattice of interconnected metal tubes in a pattern of interconnected units.

18 . A metal/graphene microstructure prepared by the process comprising the steps of:
photo-initiating the polymerization of a monomer in a pattern of interconnected units to form a polymer microlattice; removing unpolymerized monomer; coating the polymer microlattice with a metal; removing the polymer microlattice to leave a metal microlattice; depositing graphitic carbon on the metal microlattice; and converting the graphitic carbon to graphene.

19 . A method of forming a metal/polymer microstructure comprising:
photo-initiating the polymerization of a monomer in a pattern of interconnected units to form a polymer microlattice; removing unpolymerized monomer; coating the polymer microlattice with a metal; removing the polymer microlattice to leave a metal microlattice; exposing a surface of the metal microlattice to a hydroxylated alkyl mercaptan to produce a hydroxylated metal surface; and reacting hydroxyl functional groups on the hydroxylated metal surface with reactive functional groups of a pre-polymer matrix.

20 . A composite material comprising:
a metal-based microlattice embedded within an organic polymeric matrix wherein the metal-based microlattice comprises a plurality of interconnected units including at least a first unit formed of first metal tubes, and a second unit formed of second metal tubes wherein one or more of the second metal tubes are connected to one or more of the first metal tubes and a surface of the metal-based microlattice is functionalized with functional groups that provide anchoring or reactions sites for interaction with the organic polymeric matrix.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Colombo Luigi
• Dadvand Nazila
• Cook Benjamin Stassen
• Venugopal Archana

Classifications

• C23C18/30

  Activating {or accelerating or sensitising with palladium or other noble metal} · CPC title

• C23C18/1657

  Electroless forming, i.e. substrate removed or destroyed at the end of the process · CPC title

• C23C18/285

  Sensitising or activating with tin based compound or composition · CPC title

• C23C18/36

  using hypophosphites · CPC title

• C23C18/38

  Coating with copper · CPC title