Van der Waals epitaxy and characterization of hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets on graphene

Graphene is highly sensitive to environmental influences, and thus, it is worthwhile to deposit protective layers on graphene without impairing its excellent properties. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), a well-known dielectric material, may afford the necessary protection. In this research, we demonstrated the van der Waals epitaxy of h-BN nanosheets on mechanically exfoliated graphene by chemical vapor deposition, using borazine as the precursor to h-BN. The h-BN nanosheets had a triangular morphology on a narrow graphene belt but a polygonal morphology on a larger graphene film. The h-BN nanosheets on graphene were highly crystalline, except for various in-plane lattice orientations. Interestingly, the h-BN nanosheets preferred to grow on graphene than on SiO₂/Si under the chosen experimental conditions, and this selective growth spoke of potential promise for application to the preparation of graphene/h-BN superlattice structures fabricated on SiO₂/Si.