Electrical Patterning of Graphene Circuitry by Hydrogenation for Transparent and Flexible Devices

Preventing or reducing side effects caused by defects created during patterning processes has long posed a major challenge to device fabrications. Such defects on the surfaces and at the boundaries can fatally impair device performance. This is particularly the case for graphene-based devices because graphene is a surface itself, and its surface states exclusively determine the properties. Here, we show that our hydrogenated patterning of graphene can be a breakthrough in electrical patterning for graphene circuitry with the least possible damage. Hydrogenated graphene can electrically passivate graphene while neither sacrificing optical properties nor generating defects. We prove that it is the most suitable process for transparent and flexible substrates due to its high mechanical strength. Our direct transfer of graphene patterns onto Cu foils after hydrogenation is far superior to other methods since it makes it possible not only to transfer complex patterns to flexible substrates but to reduce the number of patterning steps. Finally, our proof-of-concept of a touch sensor made using our method confirmed its applicability in practice. We believe that our method will become a valuable alternative method for fabricating envisioned graphene-based electronic devices built on flat as well as transparent and flexible substrates, resulting in suitable and competitive applications.