Single-Layer Terminated Vertical Graphene Array: Growth, Structure and Potential Applications

Abstract

Vertically aligned graphene nanosheet arrays (VAGNAs), in which two-dimensional (2D) graphene nanosheets are grown perpendicularly to the substrates to construct a three-dimensional (3D) ordered and interconnected array structure with enriched edges of graphene sheets. VAGNAs exhibit large surface area, excellent electron transport properties, outstanding mechanical strength, high chemical stability, and enhanced electrochemical activity, which makes them highly promising for application in supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cell catalysts, etc. In this work, we report the direct growth of large-area, uniform VAGNAs terminated with a high-quality single-layer graphene sheet using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition approach without an additional catalyst at a low temperature of 625℃ on Ge substrate, which is confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and large-scale Raman mapping. The uniform, centimeter-scale VAGNAs can be used as a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrate providing evidence of enhanced sensitivity for rhodamine detection down to 1×10-6 mol L-1 due to the existed abundant single-layer graphene edges.

Date of Award	Dec 2019
Original language	American English