One-Step Growth of Graphene/Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Films on Soda-Lime Glass for Transparent Conducting Applications

Abstract

The direct growth of graphene on low-cost soda-lime glass has attracted widespread attention for its potential to promote the development of high-value-added graphene-based products. For its most promising application as a transparent electrode, a relatively low sheet resistance is highly desired for the derived graphene glass. However, obtaining this result is still a challenge owing to the low catalytic activity of the glass surface, the small domain size of the resultant graphene, and the limited film continuity. Carbon nanotubes (CNT), which have similar structural and electronic properties to those of graphene, have been proposed to bridge/offset the grain boundaries and defects of graphene to improve electron transfer and reduce the sheet resistance. To achieve this, the one-batch synthesis of highly conductive graphene and multiwalled CNT (MWCNT) hybrid films on soda-lime glass using a molten-bed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method is designed. The thus-obtained glass exhibits excellent conductivity, transmittance, and outstanding thermal and chemical stability. This highly conductive hybrid material is then employed as a high-performance liquid-crystal-based switchable window. In short, this work is believed to enhance the versatile applications of highly conductive graphene/MWCNT-hybrid-coated glass as well as its mass production, considering its compatibility with current glass production techniques.