Superior Adhesion of Monolayer Amorphous Carbon to Copper

HJ Zhang and AK Grebenko and KV Iakoubovskii and HN Zhang and R Yamaletdinov and A Makarova and A Fedorov and SK Rejaul and R Shivajirao and ZJ Tong and S Grebenchuk and U Karadeniz and L Shi and DV Vyalikh and Y He and A Starkov and AA Alekseeva and CC Tee and CM Orofeo and JH Lin and K Suenaga and M Bosman and M Koperski and B Weber and KS Novoselov and OV Yazyev and CT Toh and B Özyilmaz, ADVANCED MATERIALS, 37 (2025).

DOI: 10.1002/adma.202419112

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 & horbar;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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