Improving Thermal Stability and Interfacial Adhesion of Graphene with Nitrogen-Doped Amorphous Carbon Interface Layer...

Although graphene is promising for a variety of practical applications, its practical implementation in a high-temperature environment is hindered by its intrinsic thermal instability and weak interfacial adhesion to most substrates, such as metals and oxides. Various strategies have been explored to solve these issues; however, achieving robust stability and adhesion remains a challenge. This study suggests a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon (a-C:N) thin film interface on graphene to significantly enhance the thermal stability and interfacial adhesion. It investigates the effect of the a-C:N layer on the thermal stability of the graphene crystal structure and electrical performance. This study evaluates the origin of adhesion enhancement to the oxide substrates and metal electrodes. As an example of a demonstration, a transparent high-temperature electrical heater utilizing a multilayer graphene with an a-C:N interface layer as the heating source is presented. The heater exhibited long-term stability during 1000 heating cycles to 400 °C, without device failure or resistance increase. This result provides insights into the interfacial engineering of graphene, not only for thermal environments but also for various electronic devices.