Dual path mechanism in the thermal reduction of graphene oxide

Oxygen intercalation under graphene on Ir(111): energetics, kinetics, and the role of graphene edges

Using X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) we resolve the temperature-, time-, and flake size-dependent intercalation phases of oxygen underneath graphene on Ir(111) formed upon exposure to molecular oxygen. Through the applied pressure of molecular oxygen the atomic oxygen created on the bare Ir terraces is driven underneath graphene flakes. The importance of substrate steps and of the unbinding of graphene flake edges from the substrate for the intercalation is identified. With the use of CO titration to selectively remove oxygen from the bare Ir terraces the energetics of intercalation is uncovered. Cluster decoration techniques are used as an efficient tool to visualize intercalation processes in real space.

Oxygen switching of the epitaxial graphene-metal interaction

Using photoemission spectroscopy techniques, we show that oxygen intercalation is achieved on an extended layer of epitaxial graphene on Ir(111), which results in the "lifting" of the graphene layer and in its decoupling from the metal substrate. The oxygen adsorption below graphene proceeds as on clean Ir(111), giving only a slightly higher oxygen coverage. Upon lifting, the C 1s signal shows a downshift in binding energy, due to the charge transfer to graphene from the oxygen-covered metal surface. Moreover, the characteristic spectral signatures of the graphene-substrate interaction in the valence band are removed, and the spectrum of strongly hole-doped, quasi free-standing graphene with a single Dirac cone around the K point is observed. The oxygen can be deintercalated by annealing, and this process takes place at around T = 600 K, in a rather abrupt way. A small amount of carbon atoms is lost, implying that graphene has been etched. After deintercalation graphene restores its interaction with the Ir(111) substrate. Additional intercalation/deintercalation cycles readily occur at lower oxygen doses and temperatures, consistently with an increasingly defective lattice. Our findings demonstrate that oxygen intercalation is an efficient method for fully decoupling an extended layer of graphene from a metal substrate, such as Ir(111). They pave the way for the fundamental research on graphene, where extended, ordered layers of free-standing graphene are important and, due to the stability of the intercalated system in a wide temperature range, also for the advancement of next-generation graphene-based electronics.

Nature of the decrease of the secondary-electron yield by electron bombardment and its energy dependence

We performed a combined secondary electron yield (SEY) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study as a function of the electron dose and energy on a Cu technical surface representative of the LHC accelerator walls. The electron bombardment is accompanied by a clear chemical modification, indicating an increased graphitization as the SEY decreases. The decrease in the SEY is also found to depend significantly on the kinetic energy of the primary electrons. When low-energy primary electrons are employed (E≤20 eV), the reduction of the SEY is slower and smaller in magnitude than when higher-energy electrons are used. Consequences of this observation are discussed mainly for their relevance on the commissioning scenario for the LHC in operation at CERN (Geneva), but are expected to be of interest for other research fields.

Room-temperature metastability of multilayer graphene oxide films

Graphene oxide potentially has multiple applications. The chemistry of graphene oxide and its response to external stimuli such as temperature and light are not well understood and only approximately controlled. This understanding is crucial to enable future applications of this material. Here, a combined experimental and density functional theory study shows that multilayer graphene oxide produced by oxidizing epitaxial graphene through the Hummers method is a metastable material whose structure and chemistry evolve at room temperature with a characteristic relaxation time of about one month. At the quasi-equilibrium, graphene oxide reaches a nearly stable reduced O/C ratio, and exhibits a structure deprived of epoxide groups and enriched in hydroxyl groups. Our calculations show that the structural and chemical changes are driven by the availability of hydrogen in the oxidized graphitic sheets, which favours the reduction of epoxide groups and the formation of water molecules.

Chemically homogeneous and thermally reversible oxidation of epitaxial graphene

With its exceptional charge mobility, graphene holds great promise for applications in next-generation electronics. In an effort to tailor its properties and interfacial characteristics, the chemical functionalization of graphene is being actively pursued. The oxidation of graphene via the Hummers method is most widely used in current studies, although the chemical inhomogeneity and irreversibility of the resulting graphene oxide compromises its use in high-performance devices. Here, we present an alternative approach for oxidizing epitaxial graphene using atomic oxygen in ultrahigh vacuum. Atomic-resolution characterization with scanning tunnelling microscopy is quantitatively compared to density functional theory, showing that ultrahigh-vacuum oxidization results in uniform epoxy functionalization. Furthermore, this oxidation is shown to be fully reversible at temperatures as low as 260 °C using scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopic techniques. In this manner, ultrahigh-vacuum oxidation overcomes the limitations of Hummers-method graphene oxide, thus creating new opportunities for the study and application of chemically functionalized graphene.

Mechanisms for oxidative unzipping and cutting of graphene

We identify mechanisms and surface precursors for the nucleation and growth of extended defects on oxidized graphene. Density functional theory calculations show that the formation of surface structures capable to initiate the unzipping and cracking of the oxidized C network is strongly influenced by the constraint of the graphitic lattice on the surface functional groups. Accounting for this effect on the preferential spatial patterning of O adsorbates allows us to revise and extend the current models of graphene oxidative unzipping and cutting. We find that these processes are rate limited by O diffusion and driven by the local strain induced by the O adspecies. Adsorbate mobility is ultimately recognized as a key factor to control and to prevent the C-network breakdown during thermal processing of oxidized graphene.