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Post-thermal annealed monolayer graphene healing elucidated by Raman spectroscopy

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Abstract

The inconsistent conductivity and surface roughness of commercially available chemical vapour deposition (CVD) monolayer graphene films have limited their widespread adoption in optoelectronic devices. This study presents a novel approach to address this issue by investigating the effect of post-thermal annealing on the sheet resistance (Rs) and surface properties of CVD monolayer graphene films on quartz substrates. The films undergo thermal annealing at temperatures ranging from 200 to \(600\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) in a nitrogen environment using a one-zone tube furnace. Remarkably, annealing the graphene films at \(400\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) leads to a remarkable reduction in Rs by 58.1% and surface roughness (Ra) by 33.3%. In-depth analysis using Raman spectroscopy reveals that the Rs reduction is attributed to increased charge density from doping effects, while the Ra reduction is attributed to thermal-induced mechanical biaxial tensile strain. Moreover, the Raman spectrum exhibits a remarkable 67.3% reduction in the quality–intensity ratio (\({I}_\textrm{D}\)/\({I}_\textrm{G}\)) of the graphene film annealed at \(400\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\), confirming a defect-free state, and further validating the healing effect on the commercially procured graphene films. These findings offer great potential for enhancing the performance and reliability of commercially available CVD monolayer graphene films in optoelectronic devices. By introducing a practical solution to improve conductivity and surface roughness, post-thermal annealing at an optimal temperature of \(400\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) presents a promising and innovative approach to unlock the full potential of CVD monolayer graphene films in various technological applications.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support provided by the Research University Grant (RUG) of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) through the UTM Fundamental Research Grant (Q.J130000.3851.22H02 and PY/2022/00419).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

    Mei Bao Lee, Chiew Tin Lee & William Woei Fong Chong

  2. Automotive Development Centre (ADC), Institute for Vehicle Systems and Engineering (IVeSE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

    William Woei Fong Chong

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Curtin University Malaysia, 98009, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia

    King Jye Wong

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  1. Mei Bao Lee
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  2. Chiew Tin Lee
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  4. King Jye Wong
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Contributions

MBL and WWFC provide conception; MBL and CTL done experimental design; MBL and CTL did carrying out measurements; MBL and CTL gave formal analysis and investigation; MBL did writing—original draft preparation; WWFC and KJW performed writing—review and editing; WWFC did funding acquisition; KJW and WWFC conducted resources; Supervision done by WWFC.

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Correspondence to Mei Bao Lee or William Woei Fong Chong.

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Communicated by Yaroslava Yingling.

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Lee, M.B., Lee, C.T., Chong, W.W.F. et al. Post-thermal annealed monolayer graphene healing elucidated by Raman spectroscopy. J Mater Sci 58, 10288–10302 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-023-08685-z

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