Pyrolysis-assisted graphene exfoliation from graphite particles deposited on photoresist pillars

A simple and cost-effective route is described to exfoliate graphene through deposition of graphite particles on SU-8 pattern followed by the high-temperature pyrolysis process. During the pyrolysis process, the SU-8 photoresist pillars were slowly converted to desired glassy-like carbon posts and various gases were released such as carbon oxides, water vapor, methane and hydrogen. The splitting phenomenon of graphite into graphene sheets was observed. The rapid ramping rate of temperatue and the released gases intercalated inside the graphite are thought to be the predominant mechanism driving the exfoliation. The introduced approach can be applied to fabricate graphene-integrated carbon MEMS for a variety of electrochemical applications.