Methods for perforating graphene using an activated gas stream and perforated graphene produced therefrom

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9567224-B2
Application number	US-201313795276-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2013
Priority date	Mar 21, 2012
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

Graphene sheets having a plurality of holes in their basal planes are described herein. Methods for making the graphene sheets can involve contacting graphene sheets with an activated gas that has contacted a helium or argon atmospheric pressure plasma. The size and/or number of holes introduced can be altered by changing the contact time, the stand-off distance, the activated gas concentration, and/or the plasma power. Polymer composites containing the perforated graphene sheets are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for perforating graphene, comprising:
exposing a stream of gas to an atmospheric pressure plasma to generate an activated gas stream downstream of, and separated from, the atmospheric pressure plasma, the stream of gas having a concentration of active gas and the active gas being selected from one of oxygen, nitrogen or combinations thereof;
directing said activated gas stream separated from said atmospheric pressure plasma toward a graphene sheet; and
perforating said graphene sheet with said activated gas stream.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
controlling application of said activated gas stream to said graphene sheet to obtain desired aperture sizes in said graphene sheet.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
forming a composite sheet of said graphene sheet and a metallic substrate prior to said perforating step.

4. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
forming a composite sheet of said graphene sheet and a polymeric substrate after said perforating step.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: obtaining a desired aperture size of less than 5 nm in diameter.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining a desired aperture size of less than 10 nm in diameter.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining a desired aperture size of less than 1.5 nm in diameter.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining desired range of aperture sizes ranging from about 0.5 nm to about 1.5 nm in size.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
adjusting an amount of time said activated gas stream is applied to said graphene sheet so as to obtain a desired range of aperture sizes.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
adjusting a stand off distance between the genesis of said activated gas stream and said graphene sheet so as to obtain a desired range of aperture sizes in said graphene sheet.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
adjusting a distance between the genesis of said activated gas stream and said graphene sheet so as to obtain a desired aperture size in said graphene sheet.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
adjusting a contact residence time of said activated gas stream upon said graphene sheet so as to obtain a desired aperture size in said graphene sheet.

13. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:
adjusting an amount of plasma power applied to said activated gas stream so as to obtain a desired aperture size in said graphene sheet.

14. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
utilizing no more than 3% active gas in said activated gas stream.

15. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining a desired aperture size in said graphene sheet by adjusting at least one of the following:
an amount of time said activated gas stream is applied to said graphene sheet;
a distance between the genesis of said activated gas stream and said graphene sheet;
a contact residence time of said activated gas stream upon said graphene sheet; and
an amount of plasma power applied to said activated gas stream.

16. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the time is from 0.1 to 120 seconds.

17. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the standoff distance is from 1 to 20 mm.

18. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the plasma power is from 40 to 400 W/in 2 .

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the active gas is oxygen.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the active gas is nitrogen.

Assignees

• Lockheed Corp

Inventors

• Bedworth Peter V

Classifications

• Y10S977/888

  Shaping or removal of materials, e.g. etching · CPC title

• C01B32/194 Primary

  After-treatment · CPC title

• Y10S977/847

  Surface modifications, e.g. functionalization, coating · CPC title

• B82Y30/00

  Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites · CPC title

• C01B2204/00

  Structure or properties of graphene · CPC title