| Title | Requirement on Aromatic Precursor for Graphene Formation |
| Authors | K. Gharagozloo-Hubmann, N. S. Mueller, M. Giersig, C. Lotze, K. J. Franke, S. Reich |
| Journal | Journal of Physical Chemistry C |
| Vol. 120, 2016, pg. 9821 |
| Abstract | We studied graphene growth from solid, aromatic precursors at low temperature (~400°C) on a metal surface via high vacuum (6 •10^-6 mbar) chemical vapor deposition. A set of conjugated and condensed aromatic precursor molecules, i.e., structural isomers of terphenyl and anthracene are compared. While para-terphenyl (p terphenyl) and meta-terphenyl (m terphenyl) were found to be excellent precursors for the formation of graphene, no graphene was obtained from ortho-terphenyl (o terphenyl) or anthracene. We propose a reaction mechanism that explains the differing growth products. The key requirement for the synthesis of graphene is a three-dimensional nature and suitable molecular structure of the precursor. Its incorporation into a flat aromatic system on a metal surface has to provide sufficient energy gain for the polymerization to occur. |
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