Morphology and performance of graphene layers on as-grown and transferred substrates

Graphene's excellent physical, electrical, mechanical and passivating properties are revolutionizing the world of nanotechnology. In its beginning, graphene was only used as the conductive channel in metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors and as metallic electrode in capacitors, but the development of chemical vapor deposited graphene on metal catalysts, together with an ingenious process to transfer it to arbitrary substrates extended the use of graphene to many other applications. The main problem of this methodology is to get a good adhesion between the graphene and the target substrate that ensures both protection and interaction. In this paper, we analyze the capability of graphene to adapt to underlying simple and complex substrates. We observe the important adhesion differences depending on the graphene thickness and the target substrate roughness. We take advantage of graphene coatings to protect different materials from high current densities, mechanical frictions and oxidation. The findings and prototypes here designed may open the way to extend the use of graphene as protective coating. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Wien.