Manufacturing processes are often highly energy-intensive, even when the energy is primarily used for direct heating processes. The required energy tends to derive from local utilities, which currently employ a blend of sources ranging from fossil fuels to renewable wind and solar photovoltaics, among others, when the end manufacturing need is thermal energy. Direct solar-thermal capture provides a compelling alternative that utilizes renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial processes, but one that has rarely been employed to date. In this study, a 10 kW${}_{\mathrm{e}}$ custom-built high flux solar simulator (HFSS) that closely approximates the solar spectrum produces a heat flux distribution with an adjustable peak between 1.5 and 4.5 MW/m${}^2$. The HFSS system is coupled to a cold-wall chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system that is equipped to automate graphene synthesis while providing safe operation, precise control, and real-time monitoring of process parameters. A numerical heat transfer model of a thin copper substrate is derived and validated to compute the substrate’s temperature profile prior to the synthesis process. The peak substrate temperature is correlated to the HFSS supply current and vacuum pressure, as it serves as a critical design parameter during graphene synthesis. We report the synthesis of high-quality graphene films on copper substrates with an average Raman peak intensity ratio $I_D/I_G$ of 0.17. Backscattered electron microscopy reveals a characteristic grain size of 120 $\mu$m, with an area ratio of 16 when compared to that of low-quality graphene on copper. The reported solar-thermal CVD system demonstrates the ability to produce a high-value product, namely, graphene on copper, directly from a renewable energy resource with process control and automation that enables synthesis under a variety of conditions.

中文翻译：

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用于石墨烯合成的太阳能热冷壁化学气相沉积反应器设计和表征

制造过程通常是高度能源密集型的，即使能源主要用于直接加热过程也是如此。所需的能源往往来自当地公用事业，当最终制造需求是热能时，这些公用事业目前使用从化石燃料到可再生风能和太阳能光伏发电等多种能源。直接太阳能热捕获提供了一种引人注目的替代方案，它利用可再生能源来减少工业过程中的温室气体排放，但迄今为止很少采用这种替代方案。在本研究中，10 kW${}_{\mathrm{电子}}$定制的高通量太阳模拟器 (HFSS) 非常接近太阳光谱，可产生热通量分布，其峰值可在 1.5 至 4.5 MW/m 之间调节${}^{\mathrm{2个}}$. HFSS 系统与冷壁化学气相沉积 (CVD) 系统耦合，该系统配备自动化石墨烯合成，同时提供安全操作、精确控制和工艺参数的实时监控。推导并验证了薄铜基板的数值传热模型，以在合成过程之前计算基板的温度分布。峰值基板温度与 HFSS 电源电流和真空压力相关，因为它是石墨烯合成过程中的关键设计参数。我们报告了在铜基板上合成具有平均拉曼峰强度比的高质量石墨烯薄膜${我}_{丁}/{我}_G$0.17。背散射电子显微镜显示特征晶粒尺寸为 120 $\mu$m，与铜上的低质量石墨烯相比，面积比为 16。报道的太阳能热 CVD 系统展示了直接从可再生能源生产高价值产品的能力，即铜基石墨烯，具有过程控制和自动化，能够在各种条件下进行合成。