Characterization of Graphene using Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (TERS)

Graphene is a crystalline bi-dimensional material made of an atomically thick layer of sp2-bonded carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. It was discovered in 2004 by A. Geim and K. Novoselov who received the Nobel Prize in 2010. Graphene has extraordinary properties, in particular, extremely high electron mobility, which opens up a large variety of applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, and batteries. Strangely, the high electric conductivity of graphene has hindered its integration, but the recent development of semiconductor 2D materials, and their potential combination with graphene, has revived the integration of graphene into nanoelectronics devices. While graphene oxide was primarily considered as an intermediate form for large scale production of graphene due to its easy dispersability in water, graphene oxide is also of interest for a lot of applications as it can be functionalized or used as a non-conductive layer.