Lattice Transparency of Graphene.
Here, we demonstrated the transparency of graphene to the atomic arrangement of a substrate surface, i.e., the "lattice transparency" of graphene, by using hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods as a model system. The growth behaviors of ZnO nanocrystals on graphene-coated and uncoated substrates with various crystal structures were investigated. The atomic arrangements of the nucleating ZnO nanocrystals exhibited a close match with those of the respective substrates despite the substrates being bound to the other side of the graphene. By using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory, we confirmed the energetic favorability of the nucleating phase following the atomic arrangement of the substrate even with the graphene layer present in between. In addition to transmitting information about the atomic lattice of the substrate, graphene also protected its surface. This dual role enabled the hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanorods on a Cu substrate, which otherwise dissolved in the reaction conditions when graphene was absent.
Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University , Seoul 08826, South Korea.
Sieun
S
Chae
Seunghun
0000-0003-2614-1576
S
Jang
Won Jin
WJ
Choi
Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University , Seoul 08826, South Korea.|Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology , 145 Gwanggyo-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16229, South Korea.
Youn Sang
0000-0002-4580-2037
YS
Kim
Hyunju
H
Chang
Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University , Seongnam, Gyeonggi-Do 13120, South Korea.
Tae Il
0000-0001-9423-0912
TI
Lee
Jeong-O
0000-0002-7343-4892
JO
Lee
Graphene; ZnO nanorod; hydrothermal growth; lattice; transparency