Surface Roughness Measurement of Functionalized CVD Graphene and Hexagonal Boron Nitride Heterostructures Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Graphene has been a focal point of research since its discovery, owing to its diverse and outstanding mechanical and electrical properties. These properties make graphene a promising candidate for various applications, particularly in developing diverse microelectronic devices. In this work, the functionalization of the CVD graphene with higher concentrations of Sodium Octyl Sulfate (SOS) surfactant and longer treatment times led to the delamination of the CVD graphene. However, lower concentrations of 0.125% wt./vol and 0.25% wt./vol prevented delamination which ensured the preservation of the graphene structure, but they also caused an increase in surface roughness. The increase in surface roughness has been identified as a factor that could affect the mobility of carriers in graphene, and this is a key aspect of our current focus in this paper. It is crucial to understand how this rise in roughness influences the movement of carriers in graphene.