Very low-temperature growth of few-layer graphene by Ni-induced crystallization of amorphous carbon in vacuum

Abstract Graphene of thickness a few atomic layers has been grown in Ni/a-C bilayers at temperatures as low as 300 °C by Ni-induced crystallization of the amorphous carbon (a-C) in high vacuum. The mechanism of such very low-temperature growth of graphene has been investigated by a combinatorial experimental approach including x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The growth of this few atomic layer thickness graphene has been found to be mediated by a coupled grain-boundary (GB) diffusion/surface diffusion mechanism. GBs in the top Ni sublayer provide fast diffusion paths for C atoms through the Ni layer, as a result of which graphene layers form above the Ni. The revealed low-temperature growth mechanism of graphene induced by contact with a metal can be applicable in advancing research fields as metal-matrix graphene composites and advanced energy storage devices.