Position-Induced Controllable Growth of Vertically Oriented Graphene Using Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Because the morphology of vertically oriented graphene(VG) synthesizedby the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process determinesthe application performance of VG, morphology control is always animportant part of the research. A concise correspondence between plasmaand the morphology of VG is the key to investigating the morphologycontrol of VG, which is still under research. In this study, a simplebut effective parameter, position, is used to grow VG, by which thecontinuous morphology evolution of VG is realized. As a result, themorphology of VGs varies from a porous structure to a wall-likestructure, thus leading to a continuous change in its hydrophobicityand thermal emissivity. An ultrahigh emissivity of 0.999 with superhydrophobicityis obtained among these VGs, showing great potential in the area ofthe black body and infrared thermometer. Finally, the states of activeparticles in plasma depending on the positions are diagnosed to investigatetheir relations with the morphology of VGs. By adjusting the growth positions inplasma-enhanced chemicalvapor deposition, a continuous morphology variation of verticallyoriented graphene (VG) is achieved, which covers almost all the reportedmorphologies of VG from a porous structure to a tree-likestructure and then to a wall-like structure. The propertiesof VG are determined by its structure and the intrinsic propertiesof graphene. Therefore, the properties of VG change along with itsmorphology. The radicals in the plasma process play key roles in thegrowth of VG. Then, the morphology and property change of VG are tightlyassociated with status of radicals.

Automated summary

The morphology control of vertically oriented graphene (VG) is crucial for its application performance. In this study, a continuous morphology variation of VG is achieved by adjusting the growth positions, ranging from porous to wall-like structures, leading to changes in hydrophobicity and thermal emissivity. The relationship between plasma and VG morphology is investigated, and the role of radicals in the growth process is identified.