| AVS 57th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Graphene Focus Topic | Thursday Sessions |
| Session GR+AS+TF-ThM |
| Session: | Graphene Synthesis on Metals |
| Presenter: | P. Sutter, Brookhaven National Laboratory |
| Authors: | P. Sutter, Brookhaven National Laboratory E. Sutter, Brookhaven National Laboratory |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Graphene has been used to explore the fascinating properties of two-dimensional sp2 bonded carbon, and shows great promise for applications. A key bottleneck lies in synthesizing the required starting material: structurally perfect, macroscopically large graphene sheets with uniform thickness, into which active device structures can be patterned.
Epitaxial growth on transition metals has recently become one of the most promising methods for large-scale graphene synthesis. Here we discuss the fundamental mechanisms of graphene growth on ruthenium [1] and platinum [2], both single crystals and polycrystalline thin films, studied by a combination of in-situ surface microscopy methods. Real-time observations by low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) show that epitaxy on Ru(0001) produces arrays of macroscopic monolayer graphene domains, whose coalescence is followed by the formation of large bilayer areas in a controlled layer-by-layer fashion. LEEM imaging together with diffraction, selected-area angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (micro-ARPES), and scanning tunneling microscopy provide unique insight into the interaction between graphene and transition metal substrates, key to the synthesis of high-quality graphene [2, 3].
Beyond large-scale synthesis, potential applications of graphene will require novel approaches to processing and functionalization. We will highlight experiments by real-time surface microscopy to understand chemical reactions at graphene-metal interfaces, which may become part of novel processing strategies for graphene devices.
Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract No. DE-AC02 98CH1-886.
[1] P. Sutter, J.I. Flege, and E. Sutter, Nat. Mater. 7, 406 (2008).
[2] P. Sutter, J.T. Sadowski, and E. Sutter, Phys. Rev. B 80, 245411 (2009).
[3] P. Sutter, M.S. Hybertsen, J.T. Sadowski, and E. Sutter, Nano Lett. 9, 2654 (2009).