Porous Silicon Skeleton as Catalysts for Hydrocarbon Decomposition at Low Temperature Synthesis of Graphene Nanocomposites

The energy of low-temperature synthesis of graphene on the surface of nanoporous silicon (nc-PS) is considered. It was shown that the energy of low-temperature synthesis of graphene on nc-PS is due to the excess energies of the nanocrystal surface, the interfaces of the nanocrystal nc-Si/c-Si monocrystal matrix, and the free dangling bonds of silicon atoms of nanoscale silicon grains in the skeleton of porous silicon. This opens up a new perspective for the development of methods for the low-temperature synthesis of graphene without metal catalysts for the decomposition of carbon precursors, including the use of the ALD (atomic layer deposition) method.