Formation of regular stripes of chemically converted graphene on hydrophilic substrates

Chemically converted graphene (CCG), from a chemistry point of view, is a giant molecule with a unique two-dimensional (2D) configuration. The availability of CCG dispersion provides a range of scalable methods to assemble graphene-based materials but brings the challenge of understanding and control of the CCG morphology in solution processing. In this study, we found that, similar to conventional colloidal systems (e.g., spherical particles or polymers), a 2D sheet of CCG can be transferred from its aqueous dispersion to solid substrates in the form of highly regular stripe patterns by evaporation-driven deposition. The width and spacing can be defined by the concentration of the CCG dispersion and the properties of the substrate (e.g., roughness and surface charge). Furthermore, the high resolution AFM images illustrate that both 2D flattened and highly wrinkled CCG can be formed in each individual stripe, depending on the location across the stripe. The in situ optical observation of the stripe formation indicates that the morphological change of CCG may occur in the crowded meniscus of the drying front.