title: Low voltage transmission electron microscopy of graphene.
abstract: The initial isolation of graphene in 2004 spawned massive interest in this two-dimensional pure sp(2) carbon structure due to its incredible electrical, optical, mechanical, and thermal effects. This in turn led to the rapid development of various characterization tools for graphene. Examples include Raman spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. However, the one tool with the greatest prowess for characterizing and studying graphene is the transmission electron microscope. State-of-the-art (scanning) transmission electron microscopes enable one to image graphene with atomic resolution, and also to conduct various other characterizations simultaneously. The advent of aberration correctors was timely in that it allowed transmission electron microscopes to operate with reduced acceleration voltages, so that damage to graphene is avoided while still providing atomic resolution. In this comprehensive review, a brief introduction is provided to the technical aspects of transmission electron microscopes relevant to graphene. The reader is then introduced to different specimen preparation techniques for graphene. The different characterization approaches in both transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy are then discussed, along with the different aspects of electron diffraction and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The use of graphene for other electron microscopy approaches such as in-situ investigations is also presented.
authors.affiliation: IBS Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejon, 305-701, Republic of Korea; IFW Dresden, Institute of Complex Materials, P.O. Box 270116, D-01171, Dresden, Germany; Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, M. Curie-Sklodowskiej 34, Zabrze, 41-819, Poland.
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bachmatiuk
authors.forename: Jiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Sandeep Madhukar
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gorantla
authors.forename: Ignacio Guillermo Gonzalez
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiedermann
authors.forename: Changgu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eckert
authors.forename: Mark Hermann
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Rummeli
mesh_terms: D004560:Electricity; D004583:Electrons; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D006108:Graphite
keywords: FFT; STEM; TEM; characterization; diffraction; graphene; transmission electron microscopy