Optical Identification of Few-Layer Graphene Obtained by Friction

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple friction-based technique to produce and identify few-layer graphene structures, demonstrating their optical transparency and mechanical strength.

Contribution

It presents a novel method for fabricating and optically identifying freestanding few-layer graphene using friction and substrate dissolution.

Findings

Produced transparent, mechanically strong few-layer graphene laminae.

Demonstrated optical identification of graphene layers.

Established a simple, scalable fabrication process.

Abstract

A friction based method is proposed for obtaining graphite layers. Freestanding thin structures of graphite containing several layers of graphene are obtained by rubbing a graphite rod on the surfaces of NaCl substrate and then dissolving the substrate in water. An optically transparent and mechanically strong lamina of few-layer graphene is found in the obtained structures.