Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• Interfacial adhesion control is critical for achieving high-quality transfer of large-area 2D materials, directly impacting integrity, flatness, and cleanness. • Various strategies, including surface energy regulation, surface pretreatment, and capillary effects, are employed to modulate adhesion at different interfaces. • Chemical and electrochemical bubbling methods offer effective routes for weakening adhesion between 2D materials and growth substrates, reducing damage. • A recipe for transfer process selection based on application requirements is proposed, highlighting future directions for industrial-scale adoption.
Abstract
Large-area two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene, MoS2, WS2, h-BN, black phosphorus, and MXenes, are a class of advanced materials with many possible applications. Different applications need different substrates, and each substrate may need a different way of transferring the 2D material onto it. Problems such as local stress concentrations, an uneven surface tension, inconsistent adhesion, mechanical damage and contamination during the transfer can adversely affect the quality and properties of the transferred material. Therefore, how to improve the integrity, flatness and cleanness of large area 2D materials is a challenge. In order to achieve high-quality transfer, the main concern is to control the interface adhesion between the substrate, the 2D material and the transfer medium. This review focuses on this topic, and finally, in order to promote the industrial use of large area 2D materials, provides a recipe for this transfer process based on the requirements of the application, and points out the current problems and directions for future development.
1. Introduction
Large-area, high-quality two-dimensional (2D) materials possess unique physical and chemical properties, such as atomic-scale thickness, excellent mechanical flexibility, and outstanding electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, and chemical properties. They are widely used in fields such as electronic devices, optical devices, optoelectronic devices, catalysis devices, flexible devices, and energy storage devices. Compared to other synthesis methods, Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) can produce high-purity, uniform, and low-defect films, with precise control over composition, thickness, and structure, making it the dominant method for 2D material growth.
However, high-quality 2D material growth normally requires high temperatures above 700 °C and corrosive gases. Such high temperatures can negatively impact the target substrate in flexible devices and optoelectronic devices, affecting the reliability and performance of the final devices. For example, for flexible electronic devices, the required substrates are flexible polymers or glass, which are not heat-resistant, making it difficult to directly grow 2D films on the substrates without any damage. It is reported that direct growth on oxide substrates is possible, but the choice of material substrates is rather limited. The use of precursors such as salts can lower the growth temperatures and improve quality, but their introduction can lead to doping and contamination of the resulting 2D materials. Although CVD technology can currently grow 2D heterostructures directly without a transfer process, the choice of materials and assembly sequence are limited by the growth temperature gradient. Mechanical transfer techniques offer unique flexibility, enabling transfer onto any substrate, allowing the integration of various nanomaterials, overcoming the limitations of lattice matching and size mismatch. Therefore, transfer from specialized growth substrates is required.
The transfer process involves exfoliating the 2D material from the growth substrate (e.g., copper foil, silicon wafer) while the transfer medium supports and protects the material during the process, and then it is placed onto the target substrates. Several challenges remain in this process. (1) Maintaining integrity: high-temperature growth conditions can strengthen the interfacial adhesion between the 2D material and the growth substrate, leading to defects or damage during transfer. Therefore, weakening the interfacial adhesion between these two interfaces is critical.
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HU Rong, SONG Jia, HUANG Wei, ZHOU An-na, LIN Jia-long, CAO Yang, HU Sheng (2025). Controlling interfacial adhesion during the transfer of large-area 2D materials: mechanisms, strategies, and research advances. SinoTechIntel Verified Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1872-5805(NCM2025-3-2)
Research & Educational Purpose Only:The translations, structured abstracts, analytical annotations, and data reports provided by SinoTechIntel are intended exclusively for academic research, internal corporate R&D, and educational benchmarking. They do not constitute formal engineering, chemical safety, legal, or professional advice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is controlling interfacial adhesion important in transferring 2D materials?
Controlling interfacial adhesion is crucial because it directly affects the integrity, flatness, and cleanness of the transferred 2D material. Poor adhesion control can lead to defects, contamination, and mechanical damage, degrading the material's properties and device performance.
What are the main challenges in transferring large-area 2D materials?
The main challenges include maintaining material integrity during exfoliation, avoiding contamination from the transfer medium, achieving uniform adhesion to the target substrate, and preventing mechanical damage due to stress concentrations or uneven surface tension.
What strategies are used to modulate interfacial adhesion during transfer?
Strategies include surface energy regulation, surface pretreatment (e.g., plasma treatment), capillary effects, and chemical or electrochemical bubbling methods. These approaches help weaken or strengthen adhesion at specific interfaces to facilitate clean and damage-free transfer.
How does the choice of transfer method depend on the application?
Different applications require different substrates and transfer conditions. For example, flexible devices need low-temperature processes, while electronic devices may require ultra-clean surfaces. The review provides a recipe for selecting the appropriate transfer method based on application requirements, balancing factors like integrity, flatness, and cleanness.
What are the future directions for improving large-area 2D material transfer?
Future directions include developing more precise adhesion control techniques, scaling up methods for industrial use, reducing contamination and defects, and integrating transfer processes with device fabrication. The review emphasizes the need for application-driven approaches and highlights current problems to be solved.
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