Polycrystallinity and stacking in CVD graphene.

Graphene, a truly two-dimensional hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms, possesses remarkable properties not seen in any other material, including ultrahigh electron mobility, high tensile strength, and uniform broadband optical absorption. While scientists initially studied its intrinsic properties with small, mechanically exfoliated graphene crystals found randomly, applying this knowledge would require growing large-area films with uniform structural and physical properties. The science of graphene has recently experienced revolutionary change, mainly due to the development of several large-scale growth methods. In particular, graphene synthesis by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on copper is a reliable method to obtain films with mostly monolayer coverage. These films are also polycrystalline, consisting of multiple graphene crystals joined by grain boundaries. In addition, portions of these graphene films contain more than one layer, and each layer can possess a different crystal orientation and stacking...