Synthesis and stacking sequence characterization of h-BN/graphene heterostructures on Cu-Ni alloy

Novel properties are found in the vertically stacked graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) heterostructures, the performances of which could crucially depend on the stacking sequence. Nevertheless, for most heterostructures fabricated by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the stacking sequence is uncertain. Here we introduce a facile CVD method to synthesize the h-BN/graphene stacked heterostructures on Cu-Ni alloy substrate via subsequent formation of graphene grains underneath an h-BN-graphene in-plane heterostructure layer. An efficient and non-destructive method is developed to verify the stacking sequence by low-energy electron reflectivity (LEER) measurement. This work will facilitate both fabrication and characterization of van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) for the future research and applications. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.