Advances in 2D materials synthesis, transfer, and device integration

Abstract

This thesis focuses on developing wafer-scale two-dimensional (2D) materials by combining synthesis, transfer, characterization, and device integration of graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and BN-doped amorphous carbon. It introduces optimized methods to grow single-domain Cu(111) films on sapphire using controlled oxidation and chemical etching, effectively suppressing twin formation across large areas. Monolayer h-BN is shown to act as an efficient protective barrier during high-temperature annealing, allowing polymer removal from graphene without structural degradation. Graphene is further explored as a sustainable replacement for indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes in light-emitting electrochemical cells, achieving stable performance with organic emitters. The thesis also presents a bottom-up synthesis of a boron–nitrogen–carbon amorphous monolayer on Cu(111), which, after transfer to Si/SiO₂ and testing in field-effect transistors, displays insulating behavior suitable for next-generation electronic and quantum devices. The work is supported by a custom-built CVD and UHV toolkit, including an STM-compatible reactor and electrochemical delamination system, providing a reproducible workflow from substrate preparation to functional device realization.