Synthesis of isotopically-labeled graphite films by cold-wall chemical vapor deposition and electronic properties of graphene obtained from such films

Abstract

We report the synthesis of isotopically-labeled graphite films on nickel substrates by using cold-wall chemical vapor deposition (CVD). During the synthesis, carbon from 12C- and 13C-methane was deposited on, and dissolved in, a nickel foil at high temperature, and a uniform graphite film was segregated from the nickel surface by cooling the sample to room temperature. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction prove the presence of a graphite film. Monolayer graphene films obtained from such isotopically-labeled graphite films by mechanical methods have electron mobility values greater than 5000 cm2·V−1·s−1 at low temperatures. Furthermore, such films exhibit the half-integer quantum Hall effect over a wide temperature range from 2 K to 200 K, implying that the graphite grown by this cold-wall CVD approach has a quality as high as highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The results from transport measurements indicate that 13C-labeling does not significantly affect the electrical transport properties of graphene.