Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - National Institute of Laser Enhanced Science - Department of Laser Science and Interaction

The era of two-dimensional materials has begun with graphene. It is the first artificially-isolated single-atom-thick material, which is also an exceptional example of its kind. Duo to its extraordinary physical and chemical properties, it has become hugely popular among scientists and technologists in a timeframe of less than a decade. The present thesis addresses the synthesis of graphene by Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on different substrates namely; copper (Cu), nickel (Ni)-Cu alloy and Ni-Cu composites at different temperatures. The thesis is divided into many parts. The first part addresses the favorable experimental conditions to realize a successful graphene thin film growth on Cu substrates, which was previously reported to be unattainable using similar PLD approach. Graphene has been successfully grown on commercial copper foil at relatively low temperature of 500 oC by PLD, for the first time. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that films have been grown in presence of Cu(111) and Cu(200) facets. Raman spectroscopy was utilized to inspect the graphene formation and to study the effects of temperature, surface structure, and cooling rate on the graphene growth. Raman spectra indicated that synthesis of graphene layers rely on the surface quality of the Cu substrate together with the proper cooling profile coupled with graphene growth temperature. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for isolated graphene on Cu grid was performed

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