Study on the Origin of Amorphous Carbon Peaks on Graphene Films Synthesized on Nickel Catalysts

Abstract

We present our investigation results on the origin of the morphological defects on graphene films synthesized by chemical vapor deposition method on nickel catalytic substrates. These defects are small-base-area (SBA) peaks with tens of nanometer heights, and they diminish the applicability of graphene films. From atomic force microscopy observations on the graphene films prepared in various ways, we found that significant portion of the SBA peaks is formed in the crevices on the nickel substrates. Our results may be useful for developing an efficient synthesis method to produce high-quality graphene films without the SBA peaks.