Elementary process for CVD graphene on Cu(110): Size-selective carbon clusters

Revealing the graphene growth mechanism at the atomic-scale is of great importance for achieving high quality graphene. However, the lack of direct experimental observation and density functional theory (DFT) verification hinders a comprehensive understanding of the structure of the carbon clusters and evolution of the graphene growth on surface. Here, we report an in-situ low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LT-STM) study of the elementary process of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene growth via thermal decomposition of methane on Cu(110), including the formation of monodispersed carbon clusters at the initial stage, the graphene nucleation and the ripening of graphene islands to form continuous graphene film. STM measurement, supported by DFT calculations, suggests that the carbon clusters on the surface are C₂ H₅. It is found that graphene layers can be joined by different domains, with a relative misorientation of 30°. These graphene layers can be decoupled from Cu(110) through low temperature thermal cycling.