Atomic Force Microscopy Study of Surfactant Treated CVD Graphene

Surfactants are often used for treating graphitic materials to overcome their hydrophobicity. These treatments have been employed successfully for graphitic materials such as carbon nanotube and graphite. However, there is still a need to investigate the surfactant treatment approach for CVD graphene for device integration. In this work, CVD graphene on silicon substrates was treated with different surfactant concentrations for different times. Atomic force microscopy was used to investigate the surface morphology of the samples. Unlike other derivatives of graphene-like carbon nanotube, it is important for graphene to remain attached to the substrate. Results show that the stability of the CVD graphene on the substrate is highly dependent on the concentration of the surfactant used, and the duration of treatment CVD graphene. The AFM root-mean-square roughness also changes for different treatment concentrations and times. The change in roughness before and after treatment reduces lower surfactant concentration and longer treatment time.