Grain boundary mapping in polycrystalline graphene

ACS Nano. 2011 Mar 22;5(3):2142-6. doi: 10.1021/nn1033423. Epub 2011 Jan 31.

Abstract

We report direct mapping of the grains and grain boundaries (GBs) of large-area monolayer polycrystalline graphene sheets, at large (several micrometer) and single-atom length scales. Global grain and GB mapping is performed using electron diffraction in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) or using dark-field imaging in conventional TEM. Additionally, we employ aberration-corrected TEM to extract direct images of the local atomic arrangements of graphene GBs, which reveal the alternating pentagon-heptagon structure along high-angle GBs. Our findings provide a readily adaptable tool for graphene GB studies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Crystallization / methods*
  • Graphite / chemistry*
  • Macromolecular Substances / chemistry
  • Materials Testing / methods*
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / ultrastructure*
  • Nanotechnology / methods
  • Particle Size
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Graphite