Kim Su Jae, Kim Young-Hoon, Lamichhane Bipin, Regmi Binod, Lee Yousil, Yang Sang-Hyeok, Kim Seon Je, Jung Min-Hyoung, Jang Jae Hyuck, Jeong Hu Young, Chi Miaofang, Seong Maeng-Je, Choi Hak Soo, Kim Seong-Gon, Kim Young-Min, Jeong Se-Young
Crystal Bank Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea.
Department of Energy Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Nat Commun. 2025 Feb 8;16(1):1462. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-56709-w.
Despite numerous efforts involving surface coating, doping, and alloying, maintaining surface stability of metal at high temperatures without compromising intrinsic properties has remained challenging. Here, we present a pragmatic method to address the accelerated oxidation of Cu, Ni, and Fe at temperatures exceeding 200 °C. Inspired by the concept that oxygen (O) itself can effectively obstruct the pathway of O infiltration, this study proposes the immobilization of O on the metal surface. Through extensive calculations considering various elements (C, Al, Si, Ge, Ga, In, and Sn) to anchor O on Cu surfaces, Si emerges as the optimal element. The theoretical findings are validated through systematic sputtering deposition experiments. The introduction of anchoring elements to reinforce Cu-O bonds enables the formation of an atomically thin barrier on the Cu surface, rendering it impermeable to O even at high temperatures (400 °C) while preserving its intrinsic conductivity. This oxidation resistance, facilitated by the impermeable atomic monolayer, opens promising opportunities for researchers and industries to overcome limitations associated with the use of oxidizable metal films.
尽管在表面涂层、掺杂和合金化方面付出了诸多努力，但在不损害固有性能的情况下保持金属在高温下的表面稳定性仍然具有挑战性。在此，我们提出一种实用方法来解决铜、镍和铁在超过200°C温度下加速氧化的问题。受氧气（O）本身可有效阻碍氧渗透途径这一概念的启发，本研究提出将氧固定在金属表面。通过考虑各种元素（碳、铝、硅、锗、镓、铟和锡）以将氧锚定在铜表面的大量计算，硅成为最佳元素。理论结果通过系统的溅射沉积实验得到验证。引入锚定元素以加强铜 - 氧键能够在铜表面形成原子级薄的阻挡层，即使在高温（400°C）下也能使其对氧不可渗透，同时保持其固有导电性。这种由不可渗透的原子单层促成的抗氧化性为研究人员和行业克服与使用可氧化金属薄膜相关的限制开辟了广阔前景。
