Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Exfoliation and Analysis of Large-area, Air-Sensitive Two-Dimensional Materials
Published on: January 5, 2019
Evolution of the graphite surface in phosphoric acid: an AFM and Raman study
Rossella Yivlialin1, Luigi Brambilla2, Gianlorenzo Bussetti1
1Department of Physics, Politecnico di Milano, p.za Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy.
Abstract:
Phosphoric acid is an inorganic acid used for producing graphene sheets by delaminating graphite in (electro-)chemical baths. The observed phenomenology during the electrochemical treatment in phosphoric acid solution is partially different from other acidic solutions, such as sulfuric and perchloric acid solutions, where the graphite surface mainly forms blisters. In fact, the graphite surface is covered by a thin layer of modified (oxidized) material that can be observed when an electrochemical potential is swept in the anodic current regime. We characterize this particular surface evolution by means of a combined electrochemical, atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy investigation.
Related Concept Videos
The Phosphorus Cycle
Acid Attack on Concrete
The rate at which hydrogen...

