title: Total color difference for rapid and accurate identification of graphene.
abstract: For rapid and accurate identification of graphenes by optical images, a total color difference (TCD) method is proposed and demonstrated based on a combination of reflection spectrum and International Commission on Illumination color space. The preferential thickness of different dielectric films covered on a Si substrate is well elucidated, and a 72 nm thick Al(2)O(3) film is found to be much better than the commonly used SiO(2) or Si(3)N(4) films. The TCD both between monolayer graphene and substrate and between graphene of different layers can be further improved by appropriately narrowing the wavelength range of the light source. Moreover, the influences of the objective lens in a real-world optical system on the TCD are also discussed. These findings provide useful information for rapid evaluation of the layer range of graphenes simply by different color bands and for accurate and reliable layer identification due to large TCD values, which opens up the possibility for the nondestructive identification and physical property measurements of graphene with an optical microscope.
authors.affiliation: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Libo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Wencai
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hui-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D003116:Color; D003124:Colorimetry / Q000379:methods*; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods; D006108:Graphite / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000379:methods*; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D010316:Particle Size; D011356:Product Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D012031:Refractometry; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D006108:Graphite