Two-Dimensional Stacked Composites of Self-Assembled Alkane Layers and Graphene for Transparent Gas Barrier Films with Low Permeability

High Moisture-Barrier Performance of Double-Layer Graphene Enabled by Conformal and Clean Transfer

Graphene films that can theoretically block almost all molecules have emerged as promising candidate materials for moisture barrier films in the applications of organic photonic devices and gas storage. However, the current barrier performance of graphene films does not reach the ideal value. Here, we reveal that the interlayer distance of the large-area stacked multilayer graphene is the key factor that suppresses water permeation. We show that by minimizing the gap between the two monolayers, the water vapor transmission rate of double-layer graphene can be as low as 5 × 10-3 g/(m2 d) over an A4-sized region. The high barrier performance was achieved by the absence of interfacial contamination and conformal contact between graphene layers during layer-by-layer transfer. Our work reveals the moisture permeation mechanism through graphene layers, and with this approach, we can tailor the interlayer coupling of manually stacked two-dimensional materials for new physics and applications.

A Graphene-Based Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal Device Enabled through a Water-Induced Interface Cleaning Process

We report the use of four-layer graphene (4LG) as a highly reliable transparent conductive electrode (TCE) for polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)-based smart window devices. The adhesion between 4LG and the substrate was successfully improved through a water-induced interface-cleaning (WIIC) process. We compared the performance of a device with a WIIC-processed 4LG electrode with that of devices with a conventional indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode and a 4LG electrode without a WIIC. With the application of the WIIC process, the PDLC smart window with a 4LG electrode exhibited reduced turn-on voltage and haze compared to 4LG without the WIIC process and characteristics comparable to those of the ITO electrode. The WIIC-processed 4LG electrode demonstrated enhanced electrical properties and better optical performance, leading to improved device efficiency and reliability. Furthermore, our study revealed that the WIIC process not only improved the adhesion between 4LG and the substrate but also enhanced the compatibility and interfacial interactions, resulting in the superior performance of the smart window device. These findings suggest that 4LG with WIIC holds great promise as a transparent conductive electrode for flexible smart windows, offering a cost-effective and efficient alternative to conventional ITO electrodes.

Selective Blocking of Graphene Defects Using Polyvinyl Alcohol through Hydrophilicity Difference

Defects on graphene over a micrometer in size were selectively blocked using polyvinyl alcohol through the formation of hydrogen bonding with defects. Because this hydrophilic PVA does not prefer to be located on the hydrophobic graphene surface, PVA selectively filled hydrophilic defects on graphene after the process of deposition through the solution. The mechanism of the selective deposition via hydrophilic-hydrophilic interactions was also supported by scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy analysis of selective deposition of hydrophobic alkanes on hydrophobic graphene surface and observation of PVA initial growth at defect edges.

The composition and structure of the ubiquitous hydrocarbon contamination on van der Waals materials

The behavior of single layer van der Waals (vdW) materials is profoundly influenced by the immediate atomic environment at their surface, a prime example being the myriad of emergent properties in artificial heterostructures. Equally significant are adsorbates deposited onto their surface from ambient. While vdW interfaces are well understood, our knowledge regarding atmospheric contamination is severely limited. Here we show that the common ambient contamination on the surface of: graphene, graphite, hBN and MoS₂ is composed of a self-organized molecular layer, which forms during a few days of ambient exposure. Using low-temperature STM measurements we image the atomic structure of this adlayer and in combination with infrared spectroscopy identify the contaminant molecules as normal alkanes with lengths of 20-26 carbon atoms. Through its ability to self-organize, the alkane layer displaces the manifold other airborne contaminant species, capping the surface of vdW materials and possibly dominating their interaction with the environment.

Here, the authors attribute the ambient surface contamination of van der Waals materials to a self-organized molecular layer of normal alkanes with lengths of 20-26 carbon atoms. The alkane adlayer displaces the manifold other airborne contaminant species, capping the surface of graphene, graphite, hBN and MoS₂.