Graphene Snow at Sunset

;A true-color image of graphene growing over oxidized copper on a sapphire substrate.
A true-color image of graphene growing over oxidized copper on a sapphire substrate.
Image credit: David Miller, Mark Keller, Kyle Diederichsen and the NIST Precision Imaging Facility

This image is a true color image of oxidized copper on a sapphire substrate. The vivid change in color is associated with changing thickness of the copper. The brighter snowflake shapes on the copper are grapheme that has begun to grow on the surface. Graphene is visible because it provides an oxidation barrier, sealing off the copper surface from the air during oxidation, leaving shiny copper underneath.

Related Abstract

Gray arrow  CVD growth of large-grain grapheme on Cu(111) thin films