Catalytic Breakdown of Graphene by Gold

It was reported that oxidative etching of graphene occurs at about $450-550^{\circ}C$ under oxygen atmosphere. We found catalytic breakdown of graphene by Au on the SiOx surface. This catalytic process was investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and absorption spectroscopy at 4D PES beamline in PAL. Spectrosopic results suggest that the destruction of graphene is initiated by catalytic interaction between the oxidized gold and carbons in vacancy defects of graphene.