Surface Characterization of Sodium Cholate Treated CVD Graphene

The advancement of graphene has created a need in exploring its properties for different applications. One way to explore its properties is by reducing its hydrophobicity. To overcome hydrophobicity of graphene, surfactants have been used in functionalization, hence improving the surface properties of the graphene monolayer. Therefore, investigating surfactant treatment for CVD graphene becomes useful in understanding the surface property effects on graphene. This study utilizes CVD graphene on silicon substrates. Its treatment was done with varying concentrations of Sodium Cholate (SC) for different treatment times. These samples were then characterized using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to investigate the surface properties of the samples before and after treatment. To be optimized, the graphene must remain attached to the silicon substrate. The result shows that the integrity of the graphene, which is basically the Sp2 structure, is preserved as there was no delamination from the substrate even after treatment for as long as 2 hours in 1% weight/volume concentration of the SC solution.