Scientists from NRNU MEPhI, Associate Professor Alexey Podlivaev and Professor Konstantin Katin, published a study in the journal Diamond & Related Materials describing the process of transforming diaman – a two-dimensional diamond-like structure – into graphene. According to the authors, this discovery could form the basis for creating a new generation of all-carbon electronics.

Diamane consists of two layers of graphene connected by strong chemical bonds, similar to ordinary diamond. This gives the material outstanding hardness and a wide band gap, making it an ideal dielectric for ultrathin electronics. However, until now, it remained unclear what happens to diaman when heated.

Using computer modeling, scientists tracked how diaman breaks down when heated. First, one hydrogen atom detaches from the surface. This requires a lot of energy, so diaman remains stable up to high temperatures. But as soon as the first atom leaves, a chain reaction begins: neighboring hydrogen atoms also start to detach one by one, and the destruction area rapidly expands like a snowball.

In these areas, the diamond bonds between the graphene layers break, and diaman transforms into ordinary bilayer graphene. Thus, within a single material, areas with different properties emerge simultaneously – some remain dielectrics, others become conductors. Scientists found that only 8 hydrogen atoms are enough to preserve diamond properties – this is an island with a diameter of 0.3 nm, which can function as a quantum dot for ultra-miniature electronics.

According to the scientists, partially dehydrogenated diaman, containing both dielectric domains and conductive bilayer graphene regions, could become a key material for all-carbon 2D nanoelectronics. The discovery shows that diaman is not just an exotic material, but a flexible platform for creating heterostructures with desired properties. Theoretical calculations were supported by an RNF grant. The scientists' plans include creating a “map” for controlling the diaman dehydrogenation process to precisely reproduce various carbon structures.