CVD growth of graphene on copper-plated scrap steel without external carbon source

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using gaseous hydrocarbon sources has shown great promise for large-scale graphene growth, but high growth temperatures (typically 1000 & DEG;C) require sophisticated and expensive equipment, which increases graphene production costs. Here, we demonstrate a new approach to produce graphene at low cost from scrap steel sheets treated by thermal evaporation of copper plating, which is a derivative of traditional CVD technology. Without additional carbon sources, graphene film was successfully prepared on copper-coated scrap steel sheets at 820 & DEG;C. The resulting graphene has few defects and uniform morphology, comparable to CVD graphene grown at 1000 & DEG;C. Finally, the obtained graphene film is used in combination with an interdigital electrode to detect NO2 successfully, showing excellent performance. This technology expands the application of graphene in the manufacture of gas sensing devices and is compatible with traditional microelectronics technology.