Growth of curved graphene sheets on graphite by chemical vapor deposition

We report a synthesis route of a carbon-based structure, curved graphene sheet (CGS). The CGS grows by catalytic chemical vapor deposition autoselectively at the stacked bilayer edges of graphite support, providing an atomically smooth connection of the edges. We propose a growth mechanism based on Fe nanoparticle diffusion along the step edges, acting as a nanozipper. The work addresses with a simple experimental method, the edge engineering in graphene bilayer systems. The results may have a significant impact on the fabrication of new carbon nanostructures and their integration into nanoelectronics.