Assemblage contrôlé de graphène et de nanotubes de carbone par transfert de films de tensioactifs pour le photovoltaïque - Controlled assembly of graphene and carbon nanotubes by surfactant film transfer toward photovoltaic applications
Joël Azevedo
This thesis concerns the study of a new solution-based deposition method for the formation of ultrathin carbon nano-object films on surfaces. Based on the transfer of a surfactant-stabilized water film, this method enables the formation and the study of carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide (GO) films with remarkable properties. The efficiency of the developed approach is proven through the fine-tuning of the film properties. This method is particularly well-suited for the assembly of bidimensional nano-objects such as GO sheets, the flatness of which is preserved whatever their dimensions. The advantages of the approach are not limited to the morphological control of monolayer assemblies but extend to the realization of multilayer films of adjustable thickness and extremely low roughness. Besides, it enables the transfer of nano-object films on large (wafer-scale) surfaces of various wettability. The use of graphene oxide as an intermediate step toward graphene only makes sense if it is efficiently deoxygenated (reduced) and, ideally, repaired at the level of sp² domains. This thesis addresses these aspects. The realized transparent electrodes made of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are among the most efficient in this field. The presented results also include an important work on the electrical characterization of graphene oxide sheets and films. We notably prove that conductivity can be measured without contact by an electrochemical way using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy. While the performances of rGO electrodes are below those of graphene electrodes, the studied films can already be integrated into photovoltaic devices allowing to contribute to the emerging field of solar cells based on carbon/silicon heterojunctions. We particularly demonstrate that Time Resolved Microwave Conductivity analysis and photovoltaic cell measurements are complementary. Each of these techniques allows evaluating the efficiency of the separation of photo-induced charges. This thesis contributes to the dependent problematics of nano-object assembly and nano-object integration into devices, which are central for the development of nanotechnologies based on the bottom-up strategy.
TEL : VA2_AZEVEDO_JOEL_28062013.pdf
