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Applying time-dependent photoemission we unravel the graphene growth process on a metallic surface by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Graphene CVD growth is in stark contrast to the standard growth process of two--dimensional films because it is self-limiting and stops as soon as a monolayer graphene has been synthesized. Most importantly, a novel phase of metastable graphene was discovered that is characterized by permanent and simultaneous construction and deconstruction. The high quality and large area graphene flakes are characterized by angle-resolved photoemission proofing that they are indeed monolayer and cover the whole 11 cm Nickel substrate. These findings are of high relevance to the intensive search for reliable synthesis methods for large graphene flakes of controlled layer number.
Grüneis et al. (2009) studied this question.