SBIR Phase I: Carbide Bonded Graphene Coating for Enhanced Glass Molding

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project focuses on a novel carbide-bonded graphene coating technology to modify the surface of silicon wafer based molds through vacuum-assisted thermal exfoliation of functional graphene nanopaper. The graphene coating exhibits a unique combination of unprecedented properties such as lower surface friction coefficient and superior surface smoothness, higher hardness and wear resistance, better chemical resistance and anti-abrasion, lower thermal expansion coefficient and higher thermal conductivity comparing to silicon wafers and other coating materials. Using this new technology, the graphene coated silicon molds are able to produce high quality and high precision microlens and microlens array in advanced glass molding. Such products are difficult to produce in the current glass industry. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that carbide-bonded graphene coating exhibits a unique combination of desired properties including excellent mechanical and bonding strength, high hardness, good electrical and thermal surface conductivities, low surface friction and excellent surface smoothness, strong chemical corrosion resistance and anti-abrasion, good cytocompatibility, easy micropatterning by cleanroom fabrication techniques, and attractive semiconductive and optoelectronic characteristics, thus opens up a new avenue toward engineering applications of graphenes. Microoptics have enormous applications in numerous fields, such as consumer electronics, sensors, optical communications, medical applications, light shaping, and energy. Currently, most low-cost microoptics products are based on plastic materials, which are commonly used in low-cost consumer electronics. However, plastic microoptics have many drawbacks, such as low reflective index, low light permeability, unstable to environmental changes, low hardness, etc. The replacement of plastic microoptics with low-cost precision glass microoptics is indispensable.