Growth, photoluminescence and thermal conductance of graphene-like nanoflakes grown on copper foils in methane environment

In this paper, we reported a simple and effective synthesis method of graphene-like nanoflakes (GNFs) on the copper foils by hot filament chemical vapor deposition in methane environment. The structure and composition of GNFs were studied by field emission scanning electron microscope, micro-Raman spectroscope, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, respectively. According to the characterization results and the growth process, the formation mechanism of GNFs was investigated, which was based on the formation of carbon particles and the diffusion and assembly of carbon atoms. The photoluminescence (PL) of GNFs was measured in a Ramalog system and the PL spectra show a weak and a strong PL bands centered at about 411 and 515 nm, respectively. The measurement results of thermal conductance of GNFs indicate that the thermal conductivity of GNFs is up to 480 W/mK. Our results can enrich the knowledge on the synthesis, optical and thermal properties of graphene-based nanomaterials and contribute to the development of graphene-based devices. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.