Vertical graphene (VG) nanosheets have garnered considerable attention due to their unique properties and large surface area, leading to their applications in various fields. However, classical synthesis processes suffer from limited yield, and little is known about the influence of different processing parameters on VG deposition, impeding its industrial adaptation. In this thesis, we investigated the effect of the plasma-surface interactions on VG’s growth on copper to apply them in sustainable desalination solutions.

To elucidate the substrate influence, we systematically varied multiple param-eters to control the growth of VG. We found that the open area (OA) controlled the flow through the substrate. At OA < 0.6, the growth was diffusion-limited, and VG height decreased as OA decreased due to the screening of reactants’ flow to the surface. On the other hand, at OA > 0.6, the VG growth is kinetic-limited, and VG height remains constant regardless of OA. Moreover, the substrate thick-ness affects VG deposition by two major effects: attenuating the flow through the aspect ratio, limiting VG growth, and controlling the crystallinity of VG by altering the heat transfer process.

The plasma influence was studied by changing the plasma power and pressure to understand the effect of plasma properties on the surface reactions. We found that increasing the power increased the VG height, while increasing the pressure decreased it. Utilizing optical emission spectroscopy revealed that increasing the C₂:CH ratio led to more branching in the structures, while the CH:H_β ratios had an influence on the deposition rates. The pressure-power coupling controlled