Graphene Oxidation: Thickness-Dependent Etching and Strong Chemical Doping

Abstract

Patterned graphene shows substantial potential for applications in future molecular-scale integrated electronics. Environmental effects are a critical issue in a single-layer material where every atom is on the surface. Especially intriguing is the variety of rich chemical interactions shown by molecular oxygen with aromatic molecules. We find that O₂ etching kinetics vary strongly with the number of graphene layers in the sample. Three-layer-thick samples show etching similar to bulk natural graphite. Single-layer graphene reacts faster and shows random etch pits in contrast to natural graphite where nucleation occurs at point defects. In addition, basal plane oxygen species strongly hole dope graphene, with a Fermi level shift of ∼0.5 eV. These oxygen species desorb partially in an Ar gas flow, or under irradiation by far UV light, and readsorb again in an O₂ atmosphere at room temperature. This strongly doped graphene is very different from “graphene oxide” made by mineral acid attack.