Transfer-Free Fabrication of Graphene Scaffolds on High-k Dielectrics from Metal–Organic Oligomers

In situ fabrication of graphene scaffold–ZrO2 nanofilms is achieved by thermal annealing of Zr-based metal–organic oligomers on SiO2 substrates. The structural similarities of the aromatic moieties in the ligand (phenyl-, naphthyl-, anthryl-, and pyrenyl-) compared to graphene play a major role in the ordering of the graphene scaffolds obtained. The depth profiling analysis reveals ultrathin carbon-pure or carbon-rich surfaces of the graphene scaffold–ZrO2 nanofilms. The graphene scaffolds with ∼96.0% transmittance in the visible region and 4.8 nm in thickness can be grown with this non-chemical vapor deposition method. Furthermore, the heterogeneous graphene scaffold–ZrO2 nanofilms show a low sheet resistance of 17.0 kΩ per square, corresponding to electrical conductivity of 3197 S m–1. The strategy provides a facile method to fabricate graphene scaffolds directly on high-k dielectrics without transferring process, paving the way for its application in fabricating electronic devices.