Evidence for graphene growth by C cluster attachment

By E. Loginova, N. Bartelt, P. Feibelman, K. Mccarty. 2008

276 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Using low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM), we have measured the local concentration of mobile carbon adatoms from which graphene sheets form on a Ru(0001) surface, and simultaneously, the growth rates of individual graphene islands. Graphene crystal growth on Ru differs strikingly from that of two-dimensional metal islands on metals: (i) C adatoms experience a large energy barrier to attaching to graphene step edges, so adatom diffusion does not limit growth. (ii) The supersaturations needed for appreciable growth rates are comparable to those required to nucleate islands. (iii) The growth rate is a highly nonlinear function of supersaturation, with a large activation energy (2.0±0.1 eV). Our analysis suggests that graphene grows by adding rare clusters of about five atoms rather than adding the abundant monomers (adatoms). Knowing the growth mechanism and monitoring the supersaturation, we can control the pattern of growing graphene sheets.

Subfields: Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Materials Chemistry

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ef6bc71ec4c0cc47130358a59e9896298c9f1a3b

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Electrical and Electronic Engineering

In Materials Chemistry

Citations in the corpus

Graphene Quantum Dots: Graphene-Enhanced Nanomaterials for Wall Painting Protection (Adv. Funct. Mater. 44/2018) (2018, unknown): “…Au, steel, Single crystal of Ru, Rh, Ir, Pt and Pd (Coraux et al., 2009; John et al., 2011; Kim et al., 2009; Kondo et al., 2010; Kwon et al., 2009; Land et al., 1992; Loginova et al., 2008; Oznuluer et al., 2011; Reina et al., 2008; Sutter et al., 2008; Van Gastel et al., 2009; Wang et al., 2010).”
Chemical vapor deposition growth of monolayer MoSe2 nanosheets (2014, background): “This triangular crystal shape is dictated by the thermodynamically favorable edge termination of either Mo or Se atoms and the threefold symmetry of the half unit cell of single layer dichalcogenides, compared to the six-fold symmetry of bulk MoSe2 [45, 46].”
Current understanding of the growth of carbon nanotubes in catalytic chemical vapour deposition (2013, background): “[385] found that graphene growth essentially occurs through addition of carbon clusters of about five atoms.”
Factors influencing graphene growth on metal surfaces (2009, methodology): “As previously discussed [26], the essential measure of crystal growth is the velocity at which the edge of a graphene sheet advances as a function of the surrounding adatom”
Growth of large-area single- and Bi-layer graphene by controlled carbon precipitation on polycrystalline Ni surfaces (2009, methodology): “concept has recently been used to produce 1–2 LG under either vacuum conditions [11, 20] or in an ambient pressure CVD process [14-17].”
Graphene growth and stability at nickel surfaces (2011, background): “Large barriers for carbon attachment have also been reported for graphene growing on other transition metal surfaces [37, 38].”