Formation of thin graphite films upon carbon diffusion through nickel

Experimental results on the synthesis of thin graphite films with the aid of annealing of nickel films on carbon substrate are presented. Highly oriented pyrolitic graphite is used as the substrate to provide structural quality of the deposited nickel film. It is shown that the cyclic annealing of the structure with intermediate cooling leads to crystallization of primary amorphous carbon into a film consisting of flakes of vertical graphene. The process of graphite formation is discussed.