Large Scale Synthesis of Bi-layer Graphene in Strongly Coupled Stacking Order

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the large-scale synthesis of strongly coupled AB-stacked bi-layer graphene using thermal CVD, revealing unique electronic properties and growth mechanisms relevant for device applications.

Contribution

It presents a method for large-area synthesis of AB-stacked bi-layer graphene with strong interlayer coupling, characterized by electronic band splitting and influenced by copper catalyst purity.

Findings

CVD BLG shows four-component 2D Raman band indicating strong interlayer coupling.

Electronic band splitting confirmed by NIR absorption and transient spectroscopy.

Growth mechanism linked to copper foil purity affecting catalyst activity.

Abstract

Large scale synthesis of single layer graphene (SLG) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has received a lot of attention recently. However, CVD synthesis of AB stacked bi-layer graphene (BLG) is still a challenging work. Here we report synthesis of BLG homogeneously in large area by thermal CVD. The 2D Raman band of CVD BLG splits into four components, suggesting splitting of electronic bands due to strong interlayer coupling. The splitting of electronic bands in CVD BLG is further evidenced by the study of near infrared (NIR) absorption and carrier dynamics probed by transient absorption spectroscopy. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy invesigation also indiates CVD BLG possesses different electronic structures from those of CVD SLG. The growth mechanism of BLG is found to be related to catalystic activity of copper (Cu)surface, which is determined by purity of Cu foils employed in CVD process. Our work showsthat strongly coupled or even AB stacked BLG can be grown on Cu foils in large scale, which isof particular importance for device applications based on their split electronic bands