350 °C synthesis of high-quality multilayer graphene on an insulator using Ni-induced layer exchange

Abstract

Ni-induced layer exchange enabled us to form multilayer graphene (MLG) at 350 °C. The key was to avoid air exposure of sputtered amorphous carbon, which dramatically reduced the layer exchange temperature. Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy showed that the resulting MLG layer had higher uniformity and crystallinity than conventional MLG formed above 600 °C. The electrical conductivity of the 350 °C formed MLG exceeded 500 S cm−1. These findings provide insight into the solid-phase synthesis of MLG from amorphous carbon and open up flexible device applications.