Synthesis of carbon nanowalls and few-layer graphene sheets on transparent conductive substrates

Abstract

We report on the growth of carbon nanowalls and few-layer graphene sheets on glass substrates coated with different transparent conductive oxides or gold. The growth is accomplished by a capacitively-coupled radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition setup with a gas mixture of C2H2, H2, and Ar or He. This system allows the synthesis of thin vertical carbon nanosheets without catalyst at mild reaction conditions due to the low plasma density, which is preferable for sensitive substrate materials. In fact, the electrical properties of the transparent conductive indium tin oxide and fluorine-doped tin oxide stay intact upon carbon growth. Carbon nanowalls and few-layer graphene sheets on transparent conductive oxides are promising candidates for solar-cell applications while these nanostructures on gold coated glass can act as catalyst support material.