Radical Adsorption onto CO Intercalated Graphene

Sammanfattning: This project studies with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) if radicals can adsorb onto the surface of graphene flakes which had been intercalated with CO. To obtain CO intercalated flakes of graphene, flakes of pristine graphene are formed, and subsequently intercalated by a super dense “water” phase. This water phase allows for the intercalation of CO, where it is observed that flakes are intercalated digitally; either fully intercalated or not at all. After dosing radicals, it is observed that, while radicals readily adsorbed onto bare flakes of graphene, flakes of CO intercalated graphene are nearly universally adsorbate free. Following a new round of annealing and CO dosing, it is found that the sample possessed flakes with CO intercalation channels and other forms of non-digital intercalation. Previously CO intercalation channels could only be found during very brief (several seconds) exposure to CO. This information suggests that the intercalation of CO somehow precludes the adsorption of these radicals, and vice versa.