Epitaxial growth of boron-doped graphene by thermal decomposition of B4C

We grew graphene by thermal decomposition of B4C and investigated its features by high-resolution transmission electron microscope observations. At temperatures higher than 1600 °C in a vacuum, B4C decomposes and graphene forms epitaxially on its surface. The number and the morphology of the graphene layers depend on the surface orientation. An electron diffraction technique revealed the presence of a superstructure with a two-times larger unit cell, which is consistent with the structure of BC3. We have directly confirmed boron in the graphene layers by electron energy loss spectroscopy measurements and boron-mapping experiments. (paper)