Tailoring graphite with the goal of achieving single sheets

We demonstrate the tailoring of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) t o obtain uniformly sized islands of up to several microns in size. There ha s already been some research on manipulating individual sheets on HOPG surf aces with scanning probe microscope tips; such sheets were obtained either accidentally or with a less controllable indenting technique. Here we prese nt a different approach, which is more reliable and controllable. The HOPG surface was first patterned to create an array of small graphite islands by reactive ion etching of the HOPG surface with an oxygen plasma. These isla nds were then manipulated with an atomic force microscope tip. Carbon nanot ubes represent a promising material for nanotechnology and can be considere d as a graphene sheet rolled into a seamless cylinder. While carbon nanotub es are synthesized successfully with laser ablation, carbon are. or chemica l vapour deposition techniques, we speculate that it might be possible, by the controlled fabrication of graphene sheets, to form nanotubes or other n ovel motifs of use for nanotechnology.