In Situ Growth of Graphene on Polyimide for High-Responsivity Flexible PbS–Graphene Photodetectors

Graphene is an ideal material for flexible optoelectronic devices due to its excellent electrical and optical properties. However, the extremely high growth temperature of graphene has greatly limited the direct fabrication of graphene-based devices on flexible substrates. Here, we have realized in situ growth of graphene on a flexible polyimide substrate. Based on the multi-temperature-zone chemical vapor deposition cooperated with bonding a Cu-foil catalyst onto the substrate, the growth temperature of graphene was controlled at only 300 °C, enabling the structural stability of polyimide during growth. Thus, large-area high-quality monolayer graphene film was successfully in situ grown on polyimide. Furthermore, a PbS–graphene flexible photodetector was fabricated using the graphene. The responsivity of the device reached 10(5) A/W with 792 nm laser illumination. The in-situ growth ensures good contact between graphene and substrate; therefore, the device performance can remain stable after multiple bending. Our results provide a highly reliable and mass-producible path for graphene-based flexible devices.