Pentacene monolayer trapped between graphene and substrate

Self-Assembled pentacene monolayer can be fabricated between solid-solid interface of few-layer graphene (FLG) and mica substrate, through a diffusion-spreading method. By utilizing a transfer method that allows us to sandwich pentacene between graphene and mica, followed by controlled annealing, we enables the diffused pentacene to be trapped in the interfaces and lead to the formation of a stable monolayer. We found that the formation of monolayer is kinetically favored by using a 2D Ising lattice gas model for pentacene trapped between graphene-substrate interfaces. This kinetic Monte Carlo simulation results indicate that, due to the graphene substrate enclosure, the spreading of the first layer proceeds faster than the second layer, as the kinetics favors the filling of void by molecules from the second layer. This graphene assisted monolayer assembly method provides a new venue for fabrication of two-dimensional monolayer structures.