Ultraflat Cu(111) foils by surface acoustic wave-assisted annealing

Bo Tian (), Junzhu Li, Qingxiao Wang, Abdus Samad, Yue Yuan, Mohamed Nejib Hedhili, Arun Jangir, Marco Gruenewald, Mario Lanza, Udo Schwingenschlögl, Torsten Fritz, Xixiang Zhang () and Zheng Liu ()
Additional contact information
Bo Tian: Nanyang Technological University
Junzhu Li: Nanyang Technological University
Qingxiao Wang: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Abdus Samad: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Yue Yuan: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Mohamed Nejib Hedhili: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Arun Jangir: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Marco Gruenewald: Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Mario Lanza: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Udo Schwingenschlögl: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Torsten Fritz: Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Xixiang Zhang: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Zheng Liu: Nanyang Technological University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Ultraflat metal foils are essential for semiconductor nanoelectronics applications and nanomaterial epitaxial growth. Numerous efforts have been devoted to metal surface engineering studies in the past decades. However, various challenges persist, including size limitations, polishing non-uniformities, and undesired contaminants. Thus, further exploration of advanced metal surface treatment techniques is essential. Here, we report a physical strategy that utilizes surface acoustic wave assisted annealing to flatten metal foils by eliminating the surface steps, eventually transforming commercial rough metal foils into ultraflat substrates. Large-area, high-quality, smooth 2D materials, including graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), were successfully grown on the resulting flat metal substrates. Further investigation into the oxidation of 2D-material-coated metal foils, both rough and flat, revealed that the hBN-coated flat metal foil exhibits enhanced anti-corrosion properties. Molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory validate our experimental observations.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53573-y

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