Rapid Selective Etching of PMMA Residues from Transferred Graphene by Carbon Dioxide

During chemical-vapor-deposited graphene transfer onto target substrates, a polymer film coating is necessary to provide a mechanical support. However, the remaining polymer residues after organic solvent rinsing cannot be effectively removed by the empirical thermal annealing in vacuum or forming gas. Little progress has been achieved in the past years, for little is known about the chemical evolution of the polymer macromolecules and their interaction with the environment. Through in situ Raman and infrared spectroscopy studies of PMMA transferred graphene annealed in nitrogen, two main processes are uncovered involving the polymer dehydrogenation below 200 °C and a subsequent depolymerization above 200 °C. Polymeric carbons over the monolayer graphitic carbon are found to constitute a fundamental bottleneck for a thorough etching of PMMA residues. The dehydrogenated polymeric chains consist of active CC bonding sites that are readily attacked by oxidative gases. The combination of Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy reveals the largely improved carbon removal by annealing in oxidative atmospheres. CO2 outperforms other oxidative gases (e.g., NO2, O2) because of its moderate oxidative strength to remove polymeric carbons efficiently at 500 °C in a few minutes while preserving the underlying graphene lattice. The strategy and mechanism described here open the way for a significantly improved oxidative cleaning of transferred graphene sheets, which may require optimization tailored to specific applications.