DataVXAdvanced MaterialsPaper
journal article·2025-08Open access

Superior Adhesion of Monolayer Amorphous Carbon to Copper

Hongji Zhang, Artem K. Grebenko, Konstantin V. Iakoubovskii, Hanning Zhang, Ruslan Yamaletdinov, Anna Makarova, Alexander Fedorov, Rejaul SK, Ranjith Shivajirao, Zheng Jue Tong, Sergey Grebenchuk, Ugur Karadeniz, Lu Shi, Denis V. Vyalikh, Ya He, Andrei Starkov, Alena A. Alekseeva, Chuan Chu Tee, Carlo Mendoza Orofeo, Junhao Lin, Kazutomo Suenaga, Michel Bosman, Maciej Koperski, Bent Weber, Kostya S. Novoselov, Oleg V. Yazyev, Chee‐Tat Toh, Barbaros Özyilmaz

Advanced Materials· Volume 37· Issue 32
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Source abstract

Abstract

Abstract The single‐atom thickness of graphene holds great potential for device scaling, but its effectiveness as a thin metal‐ion diffusion barrier in microelectronics and a corrosion barrier for plasmonic devices is compromised by weak van der Waals interactions with copper (Cu), leading to delamination issues. In contrast, monolayer amorphous carbon (MAC), a recently reported single‐atom‐thick carbon film with a disordered sp2 hybridized structure, demonstrates superior adhesion properties. This study reveals that MAC exhibits an adhesion energy of 85 J m−2 on Cu, which is 13 times greater than that of graphene. This exceptional adhesion is attributed to the formation of covalent‐like Cu─C bonds while preserving its sp2 structure, as evidenced by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near‐edge X‐ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further elucidate that the corrugated structure of MAC facilitates the hybridization of C 2pz orbitals with Cu 4s and 3dz2 orbitals, promoting strong bonding. These insights indicate that the amorphous structure of MAC significantly enhances adhesion while preserving its elemental composition, providing a pathway to improve the mechanical reliability and performance of two‐dimensional (2D) materials on metal substrates in various technological applications.
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Research context

Metals & alloysNanomaterials

OpenAlex topics: Graphene research and applications · Diamond and Carbon-based Materials Research · Boron and Carbon Nanomaterials Research

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Physics National University of Singapore Singapore 117551 Singapore

Department of Materials Science and Engineering National University of Singapore Singapore 117575 Singapore

Institute of Physics Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Lausanne CH‐1015 Switzerland

Helmholtz‐Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie 14109 Berlin Germany

Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research 01069 Dresden Germany

Joint Laboratory “Functional Quantum Materials” at BESSY II 12489 Berlin Germany

Division of Physics and Applied Physics School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Nanyang Technological University Singapore 637371 Singapore

Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials National University of Singapore Singapore 117544 Singapore

Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) Donostia‐San Sebastián 20018 Spain

IKERBASQUE Basque Foundation for Science Bilbao E‐48009 Spain

Department of Physics Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen 518055 China

Sanken Osaka University Ibaraki Osaka 567‐0047 Japan

Centre for Advanced 2D Material Singapore National University of Singapore Singapore 117546 Singapore

Funding

Air Force Office of Scientific Research · Office of Naval Research Global · Economic Development Board - Singapore · Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung · Vetenskapsrådet

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