A ligand oxidation structure-adaptive strategy for copper passivation

Liu He, Jingwen Huang, Wenzhen Zheng, Xiaoyu Song, Jie Liu, Huiqiang Lu, Xiaohui Liu, Birong Zeng, Yiting Xu, Conghui Yuan () and Lizong Dai ()
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Liu He: Xiamen University
Jingwen Huang: Xiamen University
Wenzhen Zheng: Xiamen University
Xiaoyu Song: Xiamen University
Jie Liu: Xiamen University
Huiqiang Lu: Xiamen University
Xiaohui Liu: Xiamen University
Birong Zeng: Xiamen University
Yiting Xu: Xiamen University
Conghui Yuan: Xiamen University
Lizong Dai: Xiamen University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Despite enormous efforts, copper corrosion remains a key inducement causing huge economic losses in electrical, construction, and military industries, and deteriorates the performance of semiconductor devices. Here we show that a set of ligands functionalized with both catechol and aromatic amine groups achieves environmentally-adaptive copper passivation and fully preserves the intrinsic electrical and thermal conductivities of copper and its alloys. The oxidation of ligands in corrosive environments causes the structure-adaptation of the passivation layer, further enhancing the corrosion resistance to harsh environments including alkali and salt solutions, thermal treatment, and UV-light- and oxygen-enriched conditions. Simply adsorbing these ligands on the surface of copper, brass, copper powder, copper-based flexible printed circuits, and copper inks for flexible electronics results in strong liquid and air anticorrosion performances. Our copper passivation technique only requires a room temperature soaking procedure, providing a high industrialization possibility for copper protection, particularly in semiconductor electronics and flexible electronics.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62603-2

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