Identification of graphene crystallographic orientation by atomic force microscopy

Abstract

The direct determination of the crystallographic orientation of graphene sheets was performed using lattice resolution atomic force microscopy images. A graphene sample, micromechanically exfoliated onto a SiO2 substrate showing well defined crystal edges, was imaged in lateral force mode. The lateral force images reveal the periodicity of the graphene hexagonal structure allowing the visualization of the lattice symmetries and determination of the crystal orientation. Crystal edges predominantly formed by zigzag or armchair directions were identified. The nature of the edges was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy.