Room temperature graphene growth on complex metal matrix by PLD

Abstract PLD was applied to grow few-layers graphene from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite target on complex Ni-Cu substrates at room temperature, for the first time. The substrates were prepared by PLD of Ni on Cu foil at two different temperatures followed by similar heat treatments. The yielded Ni-Cu substrates showed two different types of structures confirmed by XRD. Unexpected extreme difference in the substrates' catalytic effect on graphene growth was proven via Raman spectra to ultimately yield either a few layers graphene or barely amorphous carbon. The effect of laser pulse energies on graphene growth has been studied as well. The results corroborate a novel class of highly efficient bi-metallic catalyst and the first well defined graphene at room temperature by any deposition technique.