Synthesis of few-layer graphene over gold nanoclusters supported on MgO

We present the successful design and synthesis of few-layer graphenes over an Au/MgO catalytic system by chemical vapor deposition with methane as the carbon source. The resulting structures were composed of a few graphitic layers, and the highest synthesis yield was found to be 62% when the methane flow rate was 120 mL/min. The dimension of the in-plane crystallites was found to increase with the reaction time. A simple purification step was used to remove the MgO support that resulted in graphene sheets decorated with Au nanoparticles. Such an approach makes it possible to synthesize high purity Au–graphene nanostructured composites by using a single reaction step and without the need for additional functionalization or attachment.