To reach the technological objectives of the DirectSepa project a new scaled-up reactor capable of growing large graphene flakes and allowing the investigation of different separation mechanisms is being designed, manufactured, and tested. The DirectSepa reactor should allow for both in situ monitoring of graphene growth on LMCats (e.g.
To get a deeper insight into the dependencies of the DirectSepa process on the 2DM structural quality, chemical state of the LMCat surface, and interactions between them, a dedicated work package for theoretical simulations is incorporated in this project. While the experimental results about LMCat surface chemistry (WP2), graphene quality (WP3), and DirectSepa tests (WP1) are important inputs for the theoretical simulations, the outcome of computer modeling is crucial for the understanding and optimization of the DirectSepa process.
The focus of the LMCat project was the in situ study of graphene growth on liquid copper (melting point of 1358 K). The success in the DirectSepa process will critically depend on the physical and chemical interactions between the graphene and the LMCat. This is expected to be a sensitive function of the LMCat surface chemistry and its temperature. Successful growth of graphene on low-melting-point catalysts of Ga and Sn (with melting points of 303 and 505 K respectively) has already been reported in the literature, using ex situ experimental techniques.
