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Etching of graphene on Ir(111) with molecular oxygen

Schroeder, Ulrike A. ; Grånäs, Elin LU ; Gerber, Timm ; Arman, Mohammad A LU ; Martinez-Galera, Antonio J. ; Schulte, Karina LU ; Andersen, Jesper N LU ; Knudsen, Jan LU and Michely, Thomas (2016) In Carbon 96. p.320-331
Abstract
The mechanisms for oxygen etching of graphene on Ir(111) are uncovered through a systematic variation of the graphene morphology - ranging from an impermeable graphene layer to graphene nanoflakes - and the application of complementary experimental methods, including scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and temperature programmed desorption. Associated with a strong variation in the onset temperature for etching, we find a fundamental difference in the onset of etching for an impermeable layer and for graphene flakes. For the impermeable graphene layer etching is shown to nucleate at graphene pentagon heptagon point defects through molecules impinging from the gas phase. For graphene flakes the nucleation... (More)
The mechanisms for oxygen etching of graphene on Ir(111) are uncovered through a systematic variation of the graphene morphology - ranging from an impermeable graphene layer to graphene nanoflakes - and the application of complementary experimental methods, including scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and temperature programmed desorption. Associated with a strong variation in the onset temperature for etching, we find a fundamental difference in the onset of etching for an impermeable layer and for graphene flakes. For the impermeable graphene layer etching is shown to nucleate at graphene pentagon heptagon point defects through molecules impinging from the gas phase. For graphene flakes the nucleation problem is absent due to the existence of edges in contact with the metallic substrate. The substrate enables dissociative chemisorption of oxygen, which can then diffuse as atomic oxygen to the graphene edge. Our results show that intercalation of oxygen is neither a necessary condition nor of specific relevance for etching. Based on our analysis, a quantitative estimate for the activation energy and attempt frequency of the elementary etch process in flake etching on Ir(111) is provided. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Graphene, Oxygen etching, Pentagon-heptagon defect, STM, XPS, TPD
in
Carbon
volume
96
pages
320 - 331
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000366078000040
  • scopus:84947968794
ISSN
0008-6223
DOI
10.1016/j.carbon.2015.09.063
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
123c8b01-36b2-4a8f-a1e4-326a5ace1089 (old id 8556903)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:21:21
date last changed
2022-04-12 05:26:57
@article{123c8b01-36b2-4a8f-a1e4-326a5ace1089,
  abstract     = {{The mechanisms for oxygen etching of graphene on Ir(111) are uncovered through a systematic variation of the graphene morphology - ranging from an impermeable graphene layer to graphene nanoflakes - and the application of complementary experimental methods, including scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and temperature programmed desorption. Associated with a strong variation in the onset temperature for etching, we find a fundamental difference in the onset of etching for an impermeable layer and for graphene flakes. For the impermeable graphene layer etching is shown to nucleate at graphene pentagon heptagon point defects through molecules impinging from the gas phase. For graphene flakes the nucleation problem is absent due to the existence of edges in contact with the metallic substrate. The substrate enables dissociative chemisorption of oxygen, which can then diffuse as atomic oxygen to the graphene edge. Our results show that intercalation of oxygen is neither a necessary condition nor of specific relevance for etching. Based on our analysis, a quantitative estimate for the activation energy and attempt frequency of the elementary etch process in flake etching on Ir(111) is provided. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Schroeder, Ulrike A. and Grånäs, Elin and Gerber, Timm and Arman, Mohammad A and Martinez-Galera, Antonio J. and Schulte, Karina and Andersen, Jesper N and Knudsen, Jan and Michely, Thomas}},
  issn         = {{0008-6223}},
  keywords     = {{Graphene; Oxygen etching; Pentagon-heptagon defect; STM; XPS; TPD}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{320--331}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Carbon}},
  title        = {{Etching of graphene on Ir(111) with molecular oxygen}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2015.09.063}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.carbon.2015.09.063}},
  volume       = {{96}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}