Fast, wafer-scale growth of a nanometer-thick graphite film on Ni foil and its structural analysis

The growth of graphite on polycrystalline Ni by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and the microstructural relation of the graphitic films and the metallic substrate continues to puzzle the scientific community. Here, we report the wafer-scale growth of a nanometer-thick graphite film (∼100 nm, NGF) on Ni foil via a fast-thermal CVD approach (5 min growth). Moreover, we shed light on how localized thickness variations of the NGF relate to the Ni surface topography and grain characteristics. While on a macro-scale (mm²), the NGF film looks uniform-with a few hundred highly ordered graphene layers (d₀₀₀₂ = 0.335 nm), when studied at the micro- and nano-scales, few-layer graphene sections can be identified. These are present at a density of 0.1%-3% areas in 100 µ m², can be as thin as two layers, and follow an epitaxial relation with the {111} fcc-Ni planes. Throughout the 50 cm² NGF, the sharp graphite/substrate interfaces are either composed of a couple of NiC_x layers or a graphene layer. Moreover, the NGF was successfully transferred on SiO₂/Si substrate by a wet chemical etching method. The as-produced NGFs could complement or offer an alternative to the mm-thick films produced from natural graphite flakes or polymer sheets.