VAMAS TWA 41 - Graphene and related 2D materials project 12 - Distribution of lateral size and thickness of few-layer graphene flakes using SEM and AFM. SEM and AFM measurement protocol

Abstract

This report details the measurement and data analysis protocol for Project 12 ‘Distribution of lateral size and thickness of few-layer graphene flakes using SEM and AFM’ of Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS) Technical Working Area (TWA) 41 “Graphene and Related 2D Materials”, as part of the European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR) 19NORM04 ISO-G-SCoPe project. This study is an international interlaboratory comparison of the measurement of the structural properties of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) deposited onto different Si/SiO2 substrates for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements. Participants will be asked to measure these samples, along with test samples to verify the calibration of their instruments and report the lateral flake size and thickness of the measured GNPs. The protocols for SEM and AFM measurements and related data analysis are described, with an aim of the study being to understand the sources of uncertainty in these types of measurements, as well as within- and in-between laboratory measurement variability, for a group of laboratories spread across the globe.