Journal Home > Volume 5 , Issue 10

The graphene/SiO2 system is a promising building block for next-generation electronic devices, integrating the high electromagnetic performance of graphene with the mature technology of Si-based electronic devices. It is well known that the electromagnetic performance of graphene/SiO2 is dramatically reduced by structural defects, such as wrinkles and folding, which are suspected to result from water droplets. Therefore, understanding water diffusion between graphene and SiO2 is required for controlling structural defects and thus improving the electromagnetic performance of this system. Although the behavior of water between graphene and atomically flat mica has been investigated, the characteristics and effects of diffused water between graphene and SiO2 remain unidentified. We have investigated water diffusion between monolayer graphene and SiO2 under high humidity conditions using atomic force microscopy. For a relative humidity of over 90%, water diffuses into graphene/SiO2 and forms an ice-like structure up to two layers thick. Liquid-like water can further diffuse in, stacking over the ice-like layer and evaporating relatively easily in the air causing graphene to wrinkle and fold. By similarly investigating water diffusion between graphene and mica, we argue that water-induced wrinkle formation depends on the hydrophilicity and roughness of the substrate.


menu
Abstract
Full text
Outline
Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Characteristics and Effects of Diffused Water Between Graphene and a SiO2 Substrate

Show Author's information Mi Jung Lee1,§Jin Sik Choi1,§Jin-Soo Kim1Ik-Su Byun1Duk Hyun Lee1Sunmin Ryu2Changgu Lee3( )Bae Ho Park1( )
Division of Quantum Phases & DevicesDepartment of PhysicsKonkuk UniversitySeoul143-701Korea
Department of Applied ChemistryKyung Hee University, YonginGyeonggi446-701Korea
Department of Mechanical EngineeringSungkyunkwan UniversitySuwon440-746Korea

§ These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

The graphene/SiO2 system is a promising building block for next-generation electronic devices, integrating the high electromagnetic performance of graphene with the mature technology of Si-based electronic devices. It is well known that the electromagnetic performance of graphene/SiO2 is dramatically reduced by structural defects, such as wrinkles and folding, which are suspected to result from water droplets. Therefore, understanding water diffusion between graphene and SiO2 is required for controlling structural defects and thus improving the electromagnetic performance of this system. Although the behavior of water between graphene and atomically flat mica has been investigated, the characteristics and effects of diffused water between graphene and SiO2 remain unidentified. We have investigated water diffusion between monolayer graphene and SiO2 under high humidity conditions using atomic force microscopy. For a relative humidity of over 90%, water diffuses into graphene/SiO2 and forms an ice-like structure up to two layers thick. Liquid-like water can further diffuse in, stacking over the ice-like layer and evaporating relatively easily in the air causing graphene to wrinkle and fold. By similarly investigating water diffusion between graphene and mica, we argue that water-induced wrinkle formation depends on the hydrophilicity and roughness of the substrate.

Keywords: Graphene, hydrophilicity, mica, water diffusion, ice-like structure, high humidity, wrinkle, SiO2

References(21)

1

Novoselov, K. S.; Geim, A. K.; Morozov, S. V.; Jiang, D.; Zhang, Y.; Dubonos, S. V.; Grigorieva, I. V.; Firsov, A. A. Electric field effect in atomically thin carbon films. Science 2004, 306, 666-669.

2

Bolotin, K. I.; Sikes, K. J.; Jiang, Z.; Klima, M.; Fudenberg, G.; Hone, J.; Kim, P.; Stormer, H. L. Ultrahigh electron mobility in suspended graphene. Solid State Commun. 2008, 146, 351-355.

3

Morozov, S. V.; Novoselov, K. S.; Katsnelson, M. I.; Schedin, F.; Ponomarenko, L. A.; Jiang, D.; Geim, A. K. Strong suppression of weak localization in graphene. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2006, 97, 016801.

4

Fasolino, A.; Los, J. H.; Katsnelson, M. I. Intrinsic ripples in graphene. Nat. Mater. 2007, 6, 858-861.

5

Choi, J. S.; Kim, J. S.; Byun, I. S.; Lee, D. H.; Lee, M. J.; Park, B. H.; Lee, C.; Yoon, D.; Cheong, H.; Lee, K. H.; Sin, Y. W.; Park, J. Y.; Salmeron, M. Friction anisotropy-driven domain imaging on exfoliated monolayer graphene. Science 2011, 333, 607-610.

6

Xu, K.; Cao, P. G.; Heath, J. R. Scanning tunneling microscopy characterization of the electrical properties of wrinkles in exfoliated graphene monolayers. Nano Lett. 2009, 9, 4446-4451.

7

Zhang, Y. B.; Brar, V. W.; Girit, C.; Zettl, A.; Crommie, M. F. Origin of spatial charge inhomogeneity in graphene. Nat. Phys. 2009, 5, 722-726.

8

Patra, N.; Wang, B. Y.; Kral, P. Nanodroplet activated and guided folding of graphene nanostructures. Nano Lett. 2009, 9, 3766-3771.

9

Wu, Y. Q.; Lin, Y. M.; Bol, A. A.; Jenkins, K. A.; Xia, F. N.; Farmer, D. B.; Zhu, Y.; Avouris, P. High-frequency, scaled graphene transistors on diamond-like carbon. Nature 2011, 472, 74-78.

10

Schwierz, F. Graphene transistors. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2010, 5, 487-496.

11

Schedin, F.; Geim, A. K.; Morozov, S. V.; Hill, E. W.; Blake, P.; Katsnelson, M. I.; Novoselov, K. S. Detection of individual gas molecules adsorbed on graphene. Nat. Mater. 2007, 6, 652-655.

12

Wehling, T. O.; Lichetenstein, A. I.; Katsnelson, M. I. First-principles studies of water adsorption on graphene: The role of the substrate. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2008, 93, 202110.

13

Shim, J.; Lui, C. H.; Ko, T. Y.; Yu, Y. J.; Kim, P.; Heinz, T. F.; Ryu, S. Water-gated charge doping of graphene induced by mica substrates. Nano Lett. 2012, 12, 648-654

14

Stolyarova, E.; Stolyarova, D.; Bolotin, K.; Ryu, S.; Liu, L.; Rim, K. T.; Klima, M.; Hybertsen, M.; Pogorelsky, I.; Pavlishin, I.; Kusche, K.; Hone, J. Kim, P.; Stormer, H. L.; Yakimenko, V.; Flynn, G. Observation of graphene bubbles and effective mass transport under graphene films. Nano Lett. 2009, 9, 332-337.

15

Xu, K.; Cao, P. G.; Heath, J. R. Graphene visualizes the first water adlayers on mica at ambient conditions. Science 2010, 329, 1188-1191.

16

Severin, N.; Lange, P.; Sokolov, I. M.; Rabe, J. P. Reversible dewetting of a molecularly thin fluid water film in a soft graphene-mica slit pore. Nano Lett. 2012, 12, 774-779.

17

Park, J. H.; Aluru, N. R. Ordering-induced fast diffusion of nanoscale water film on graphene. J. Phys. Chem. C. 2010, 114, 2595-2599.

18

Hu, J.; Xiao, X. D.; Ogletree, D. F.; Salmeron, M. Imaging the condensation and evaporation of molecularly thin films of water with nanometer resolution. Science 1995, 268, 267-269.

19

Lui, C. H.; Liu, L.; Mak, K. F.; Flynn, G. W.; Heinz, T. F. Ultraflat graphene. Nature 2009, 462, 339-341.

20

Park, J. H.; Aluru, N. R. Diffusion of water submonolayers on hydrophilic surfaces. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2008, 93, 253104.

21

Cao, P. G.; Xu, K.; Varghese, J. O.; Heath, J. R. The microscopic structure of adsorbed water on hydrophobic surfaces under ambient conditions. Nano Lett. 2011, 11, 5581-5586.

File
nr-5-10-710_ESM.pdf (461.2 KB)
Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 27 June 2012
Revised: 23 August 2012
Accepted: 27 August 2012
Published: 21 September 2012
Issue date: October 2012

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Research Laboratory (NRL) Program (Grant No. 2008-0060004), the World Class University (WCU) Program (Grant No. R31-2008-000-10057-0), Basic Science Research Programs (2011-0014209 and 2011-0027288), the Global Frontier Research Center for Advanced Soft Electronics (2011-0031629), the Nano×Material Technology Development Program (2011-0030228), and the Quantum Metamaterials Research Center (Grant No. R11-2008-053-03002-0) through the NRF funded by the Korean government Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST).

Return