Scalable bottom-up synthesis of Co-Ni-doped graphene.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39514660.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.ado8956 and PMC identifier 11546814.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Introducing heteroatoms into graphene is a powerful strategy to modulate its catalytic, electronic, and magnetic properties. At variance with the cases of nitrogen (N)- and boron (B)-doped graphene, a scalable method for incorporating transition metal atoms in the carbon (C) mesh is currently lacking, limiting the applicative interest of model system studies. This work presents a during-growth synthesis enabling the incorporation of cobalt (Co) alongside nickel (Ni) atoms in graphene on a Ni(111) substrate. Single atoms are covalently stabilized within graphene double vacancies, with a Co load ranging from 0.07 to 0.22% relative to C atoms, controllable by synthesis parameters. Structural characterization involves variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and ab initio calculations. The Co- and Ni-codoped layer is transferred onto a transmission electron microscopy grid, confirming stability through scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. This method holds promise for applications in spintronics, gas sensing, electrochemistry and catalysis, and potential extension to graphene incorporation of similar metals.