Physics

Nanotechnology

Combustion chemical vapor deposition

Nickel

Laser

Copper

Atomic layer deposition

Graphene foam

Optics

Engineering

Thin film

Metallurgy

Materials science

Graphene oxide paper

Layer (electronics)

Graphene

Alloy

Sapphire

Metal

Chemical vapor deposition

Carbon film

Chemical engineering

Cell Reports Physical Science

Metal foils, particularly copper and copper-nickel alloy, are commonly used to grow large-area crystalline mono- or bi-layer graphene domains and films by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods. Thin-metal films, which are usually made by depositing metals on various substrates such as single-crystal sapphire, have also been reported as catalytic substrates for high-quality graphene growth. Thin-metal films can also serve as intermediates to grow graphene on catalytically inactive substrates, such as dielectrics for electronic devices. Focusing on the CVD growth of graphene on thin-metal films, we review the history of CVD graphene growth, the growth on different single-metals and alloy thin films, and the reported performance of such graphene in electronic devices. We also comment on current challenges and opportunities for the further development of this field.

Chemical vapor deposition of graphene on thin-metal films