We have used ulta-high vacuum, low and variable temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) to investigate the structure and electronic properties of single sheets of graphite (graphene) on both insulating and metallic surfaces. STM as well as Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy reveal variations in electron tunneling images for these one atom thick samples mounted on a silicon dioxide substrate that differ markedly from those of ordinary, multi-layer graphite. Graphene sheets exfoliated onto mica or grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques on copper and cobalt show different degrees of electronic coupling to the underlying substrate. These kinds of investigations have been extended to the study of surface chemical reactions where the Scanning Tunneling Microscope/Atomic Force Microscope is used as a �camera� to observe defect growth in single and multiple graphene sheets due to treatment with oxygen. Incorporation of N-atoms into the graphene honeycomb lattice structure has been observed for samples grown on copper during CVD exposure to a mixture of methane and ammonia. The chemistry on these model surfaces is expected to reveal many features that determine the nanoscale properties of graphene and its potential use in solar energy applications and electronic device development

Probing graphene chemistry and electronic structure in 2D: A subnanometer view

244th National Meeting (2012)

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