Effects of Wet Chemical Oxidation on Surface Functionalization and Morphology of Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite

The knowledge of chemical functionalization for area selective deposition (ASD) is crucial for designing the next generation heterogeneous catalysis. Surface functionalization by oxidation was studied on the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The HOPG surface was exposed to with various concentrations of two different acids (HCl and HNO3). We show that exposure of the HOPG surface to the acid solutions produce primarily the same -OH functional group and also significant differences the surface topography. Mechanisms are suggested to explain these strikingly different surface morphologies after surface oxidation. This knowledge can be used to for ASD synthesis methods for future graphene-based technologies.