Synthesis and Characterization of Large-Area Graphene and Graphite Films on Commercial Cu–Ni Alloy Foils

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 11; no. 9; pp. 3519 - 3525
• Main Authors: Chen, Shanshan, Cai, Weiwei, Piner, Richard D, Suk, Ji Won, Wu, Yaping, Ren, Yujie, Kang, Junyong, Ruoff, Rodney S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 14.09.2011
• Subjects: CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION; Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; COPPER ALLOYS (40 TO 99.3 CU); Copper base alloys; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; FOIL; Foils; Fullerenes and related materials; diamonds, graphite; Graphene; Graphite; Imaging; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; MICROSTRUCTURES; Multilayers; Nanostructure; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of low-dimensional, mesoscopic, and nanoscale materials and structures; Physics; Scanning electron microscopy; Specific materials; Synthesis (chemistry); bilayer graphene; Graphene; film thickness; Cu−Ni foil; grain orientation; Methane; Atomic force microscopy; Growth rate; Electron diffraction; Precursor; Thin films; Multilayers; Optical microscopy; Imaging; Optical properties; Size effect; Scanning electron microscopy; Electron backscattering; Nickel alloys; Multilayer; Electrical properties; Cooling rate; Grain orientation; Raman spectroscopy; CVD; Copper alloys; Monolayers; Graphite; Growth mechanism; Bilayers
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl201699j

Controlling the thickness and uniformity during growth of multilayer graphene is an important goal. Here we report the synthesis of large-area monolayer and multilayer, particularly bilayer, graphene films on Cu–Ni alloy foils by chemical vapor deposition with methane and hydrogen gas as precursors. The dependence of the initial stages of graphene growth rate on the substrate grain orientation was observed for the first time by electron backscattered diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The thickness and quality of the graphene and graphite films obtained on such Cu–Ni alloy foils could be controlled by varying the deposition temperature and cooling rate and were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and micro-Raman imaging spectroscopy. The optical and electrical properties of the graphene and graphite films were studied as a function of thickness.