Rapid and highly efficient growth of graphene on copper by chemical vapor deposition of ethanol

• Graphene films were grown by fast chemical vapor deposition of ethanol on copper.
• High-temperature/short-time growth produced highly crystalline graphene.
• The copper substrate was entirely covered by a graphene film in just 20 s.
• Addition of H2 had a negligible effect on the crystalline quality.

The growth of graphene by chemical vapor deposition on metal foils is a promising technique to deliver large-area films with high electron mobility. Nowadays, the chemical vapor deposition of hydrocarbons on copper is the most investigated synthesis method, although many other carbon precursors and metal substrates are used too. Among these, ethanol is a safe and inexpensive precursor that seems to offer favorable synthesis kinetics. We explored the growth of graphene on copper from ethanol, focusing on processes of short duration (up to one min). We investigated the produced films by electron microscopy, Raman and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. A graphene film with high crystalline quality was found to cover the entire copper catalyst substrate in just 20 s, making ethanol appear as a more efficient carbon feedstock than methane and other commonly used precursors.