One-side surface modifications of graphene

TL;DR

This paper explores how unilateral chemical modifications like hydrogenation, fluorination, and chlorination affect the mechanical conformations of graphene sheets on flat substrates, revealing multiple stable forms and new nanostructures.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the dependence of graphene's shape on one-sided chemical attachment density and substrate type, introducing new stable configurations and nanostructures.

Findings

Graphene can adopt four main conformations on substrates depending on chemical modification.

The stability of flat graphene varies with chemical density and substrate material.

Formation of nanocarpet and hexagonal hydroxyl lattices at specific attachment densities.

Abstract

We study the dependence of mechanical conformations of graphene sheets located on flat substrates on the density of unilateral (one-side) attachment of hydrogen, fluorine or chlorine atoms to them. It is shown that chemically modified graphene sheet can take four main forms on a flat substrate: the form of a flat sheet located parallel to the surface of the substrate, the form of convex sheet partially detached from the substrate with bent edges adjacent to the substrate, and the forms of single and double rolls on the substrate. On the surface of crystalline graphite, the flat form of the sheet is lowest in energy for hydrogenation density p <0.21, fluorination density p<0.20 and chlorination density p<0.16. The surface of crystalline nickel has higher adsorption energy for graphene monolayer and the flat form of chemically modified sheet on such substrate is lowest in energy for hydrogenation density p<0.47, fluorination density p<0.30 and chlorination density p<0.21. The flat shape of the graphene sheet remains basic on a substrate also when molecular groups CH3, CH2-CH3 or rings C6H5 are one-side attached to its outer surface. At the attachment density p=1/6 (one group per 6 sheet atoms) the sheet becomes the nanocarpet the basis of which is formed by a sheet of graphene and the pile of which is formed by the attached molecular groups forming a tightly packed regular lattice. The addition of hydroxyl groups OH with attachment density p=1/4 leads to the formation of hexagonal lattices of hydroxyl groups on the outer surface of graphene sheet on a substrate. In this lattice, the groups can form various configurations of hydrogen bonds, which turns the chemically modified sheet into a multistable system.