Rapid identification of stacking orientation in isotopically labeled chemical-vapor grown bilayer graphene by Raman spectroscopy.

The growth of large-area bilayer graphene has been of technological importance for graphene electronics. The successful application of graphene bilayers critically relies on the precise control of the stacking orientation, which determines both electronic and vibrational properties of the bilayer system. Toward this goal, an effective characterization method is critically needed to allow researchers to easily distinguish the bilayer stacking orientation (i.e., AB stacked or turbostratic). In this work, we developed such a method to provide facile identification of the stacking orientation by isotope labeling. Raman spectroscopy of these isotopically labeled bilayer samples shows a clear signature associated with AB stacking between layers, enabling rapid differentiation between turbostratic and AB-stacked bilayer regions. Using this method, we were able to characterize the stacking orientation in bilayer graphene grown through Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) with enclosed Cu foils, achieving almost 70% AB-stacked bilayer graphene. Furthermore, by combining surface sensitive fluorination with such hybrid (12)C/(13)C bilayer samples, we are able to identify that the second layer grows underneath the first-grown layer, which is similar to a recently reported observation.

Nickel carbide as a source of grain rotation in epitaxial graphene.

Graphene has a close lattice match to the Ni(111) surface, resulting in a preference for 1 × 1 configurations. We have investigated graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on the nickel carbide (Ni(2)C) reconstruction of Ni(111) with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The presence of excess carbon, in the form of Ni(2)C, prevents graphene from adopting the preferred 1 × 1 configuration and leads to grain rotation. STM measurements show that residual Ni(2)C domains are present under rotated graphene. Nickel vacancy islands are observed at the periphery of rotated grains and indicate Ni(2)C dissolution after graphene growth. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations predict a very weak (van der Waals type) interaction of graphene with the underlying Ni(2)C, which should facilitate a phase separation of the carbide into metal-supported graphene. These results demonstrate that surface phases such as Ni(2)C can play a major role in the quality of epitaxial graphene.

A method to evaluate the tensile strength and stress-strain relationship of carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, and C-chains.

A method is introduced to assess the tensile strength of carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and linear chains of carbon atoms (C-chains) obtained from thin amorphous carbon films by electron irradiation. Transmission electron microscopy images show that the nanofibers undergo a radiation-induced necking process, characterized by CNT formation and often followed by the formation of a C-chain. Simulations of the necking process are carried out to determine the tensile stress supported by the nanofiber and CNT neck.