In situ studies of graphene CVD growth on Cu-Sn liquid alloy: Atomic structure, composition, and interactions at Gr/Cu-Sn interface

Liquid metal catalysts (LMCats) bear the prospect of continuous 2D materials (2DM) production with unprecedented structural quality, efficiency, and speed. We have previously succeeded in studying the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of graphene on liquid copper at 1370 K (see the previous publications). Meanwhile, growing graphene on liquid catalysts at lower temperatures is of great technical and economic interest. One important candidate is tin, which has a relatively low melting point (505 K) and an exceptionally low vapor pressure. However, tin has very low catalytic activity for graphene growth. Hence, an alloy between tin and a more active metal can provide a compromise between a lower melting point and enough catalytic activity. This proposal aims to grow graphene on a liquid Cu-Sn alloy surface and study the interactions and the atomic structure of the Gr/Cu-Sn interface using XRR, GIXD, and XRF. This is to be done using the dedicated liquid diffractometer at ID10.