Ordered three-fold symmetric graphene oxide/buckled graphene/graphene heterostructures on MgO(111) by carbon molecular beam epitaxy†
Abstract
Theory and experiment demonstrate the direct growth of a graphene oxide/buckled graphene/graphene heterostructure on an incommensurate MgO(111) substrate. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron energy loss, Auger electron spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations all demonstrate that carbon molecular beam epitaxy on either a hydroxylated MgO(111) single crystal or a heavily twinned thin film surface at 850 K yields an initial C layer of highly ordered graphene oxide with C3v symmetry. A 5 × 5 unit cell of carbon, with one missing atom, forms on a 4 × 4 unit cell of MgO, with the three C atoms surrounding the C vacancy surface forming covalent C–O bonds to substrate oxide sites. This leads to a bowed graphene-oxide with slightly modified D and G Raman lines and a calculated band gap of 0.36 eV. Continued C growth results in the second layer of graphene that is stacked AB with respect to the first layer and buckled conformably with the first layer while maintaining C3v symmetry, lattice spacing and azimuthal orientation with the first layer. Carbon growth beyond the second layer yields graphene in azimuthal registry with the first two C layers, but with graphene-characteristic lattice spacing and π → π* loss feature. This 3rd layer is also p-type, as indicated by the 5.6 eV energy loss feature. The significant sp3 character and C3v symmetry of such heterostructures suggest that spin–orbit coupling is enabled, with implications for spintronics and other device applications.