The effect of layer number and substrate on the stability of graphene under MeV proton beam irradiation

TL;DR

This study investigates how the number of layers and substrates affect the radiation stability of graphene under MeV proton irradiation, highlighting the importance of these factors for space electronics.

Contribution

It demonstrates that increasing layer number and substrate support enhances graphene's damage threshold and proposes a new model for damage involving electronically-stimulated surface desorption.

Findings

Damage threshold increases with layer number

Substrate support improves radiation resistance

Thermal properties do not explain damage mechanisms

Abstract

The use of graphene electronics in space will depend on the radiation hardness of graphene. The damage threshold of graphene samples, subjected to 2 MeV proton irradiation, was found to increase with layer number and also when the graphene layer was supported by a substrate. The thermal properties of graphene as a function of the number of layers or as influenced by the substrate argue against a thermal model for the production of damage by the ion beam. We propose a model of intense electronically-stimulated surface desorption of the atoms as the most likely process for this damage mechanism.