Direct growth of special-shape graphene on different templates by remote catalyzation of Cu nanoparticles

A novel method avoiding the complex transfer process is proposed to directly grow low-defect and few-layer graphene on different insulating substrates (SiO2, Al2O3, etc.) by remote catalyzation of Cu nanoparticles (NPs) using ambient pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD). The insulating substrates with special structure are used as templates to grow wrapped graphene sheets with special shapes. Hollow graphene species are obtained by removing the substrates. The prime feature of the proposed method is using Cu NPs as catalyst rather than metal foils. The Cu NPs play an important role in the remote catalyzation during the nucleation of graphene. This method can improve the quality and relatively decrease the growth temperature of the graphene on the insulating substrates, which displays the great potential of APCVD direct growth of graphene on dielectric substrates for electronic and photovoltaic applications.